Hecla Mining Faces Decline Amid Broader Market Weakness
Written by Emily J. Thompson, Senior Investment Analyst
Updated: Feb 18 2025
0mins
Should l Buy HL?
Source: Coinmarketcap
Hecla Mining Co's shares fell by 5.03% as it crossed below the 5-day SMA, reflecting a challenging trading environment.
The decline comes amid a broader market downturn, with the Nasdaq-100 down 1.88% and the S&P 500 down 0.60%. This sector rotation indicates that while Hecla Mining has seen significant performance improvements in the past, including a 67% year-over-year sales increase, the current market conditions are impacting its stock negatively. Investors are advised to consider the volatility in precious metal prices and the company's stable dividend policy, which remains unchanged despite improved financial results.
As the largest silver producer in the U.S. and Canada, Hecla Mining's performance is closely tied to silver prices. The recent market volatility may lead to cautious investor sentiment, particularly as the company prioritizes debt repayment and reinvestment over dividend payouts.
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Analyst Views on HL
Wall Street analysts forecast HL stock price to fall over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for HL is 15.42 USD with a low forecast of 12.00 USD and a high forecast of 19.00 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.
6 Analyst Rating
2 Buy
3 Hold
1 Sell
Hold
Current: 21.310
Low
12.00
Averages
15.42
High
19.00
Current: 21.310
Low
12.00
Averages
15.42
High
19.00
About HL
Hecla Mining Company is a silver producer in the United States and Canada. The Company discovers, acquires and develops mines and other mineral interests and produces and markets concentrates containing silver, gold, lead, zinc and copper; carbon material containing silver and gold, and unrefined dore containing silver and gold. The Company's segments include Greens Creek, Lucky Friday, Keno Hill and Casa Berardi. The Greens Creek operation is located on Admiralty Island, near Juneau, Alaska. The Greens Creek ore body contains silver, zinc, gold and lead. The Lucky Friday mine is a deep underground silver, lead, and zinc mine located in the Coeur d’Alene Mining District in northern Idaho. The Casa Berardi mine is an underground/open-pit gold mine located in western Quebec. It owns 100% of the Keno Hill Silver Project, which is located within the Keno Hill Silver District in Canada’s Yukon Territory. The Company also owns a number of exploration and pre-development projects.
About the author
Emily J. Thompson
Emily J. Thompson, a Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) with 12 years in investment research, graduated with honors from the Wharton School. Specializing in industrial and technology stocks, she provides in-depth analysis for Intellectia’s earnings and market brief reports.
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Mergers and Acquisitions: Coeur Mining is pursuing an acquisition strategy, aiming to enhance its operations and expand its mining capabilities across North America, which could lead to increased production.
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- Trend Analysis: The recent downturn in silver prices indicates a potential shift in market dynamics.
See More
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- Gold Price Decline: Spot gold fell over 1% to $4,899.8 per ounce, reflecting market uncertainty about future trends, which may lead investors to reassess their asset allocation strategies.
- Silver Futures Surge: March 2026 silver futures rose approximately 62% to $85.1 per ounce, indicating strong market demand for silver, particularly after price corrections that attracted significant speculative capital.
- Zhongcai Futures Profitability: According to the Financial Times, Zhongcai Futures earned over $500 million during the silver rout, demonstrating its successful establishment of large short positions amidst market volatility, thereby solidifying its position in the industry.
- Market Sentiment Shift: Despite declines in silver mining stocks like First Majestic and Hecla Mining by over 2%, retail sentiment for iShares Silver Trust and SPDR Gold Shares ETF remains in the 'extremely bullish' territory, indicating strong investor confidence in future market performance.
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- Market Decline: The S&P 500 index fell by 0.84%, the Dow Jones by 0.34%, and the Nasdaq 100 by 1.55%, indicating a sharp sell-off after reaching record highs, which negatively impacted investor sentiment.
- Tech Sector Retreat: Data service and software stocks plummeted following the release of an automation tool by AI firm Anthropic, with Thomson Reuters and EPAM Systems down over 15% and 13% respectively, reflecting a loss of confidence in tech stocks.
- Precious Metals Rally: Gold prices surged over 6% and silver over 8%, leading to gains in mining stocks, with Hecla Mining and Freeport McMoRan rising more than 8% and 6% respectively, indicating increased demand for safe-haven assets.
- Economic Outlook Improvement: Richmond Fed President noted an improving US economic outlook despite ongoing risks, with markets focusing on upcoming economic data and the passage of a spending bill to gauge future economic trends.
See More
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- Tech Stock Retreat: Following the release of an automation tool for lawyers by AI firm Anthropic, data service and software stocks retreated, with Thomson Reuters down over 17% and Intuit and FactSet both down more than 9%, reflecting a decline in investor confidence in the tech sector.
- Mining Stocks Surge: Gold prices rose by over 6% and silver prices soared by more than 13%, driving mining stocks higher, with Freeport McMoRan and Hecla Mining both up over 6%, indicating a rebound in investor demand for precious metals.
- Economic Data Impact: Despite strong US manufacturing data, the 10-year T-note yield climbed to a 1.5-week high of 4.30%, dampening expectations for further Fed rate cuts and leading to cautious investor sentiment that pressured some stocks.
See More
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- Precious Metals Rebound: Gold prices increased by more than 6% and silver surged over 13%, leading mining stocks like Freeport McMoRan and Hecla Mining to rise by more than 5% and 4% respectively, indicating a recovery in market demand for precious metals.
- PayPal's Stock Plunge: PayPal Holdings saw its stock drop over 18%, significantly weighing on the Nasdaq 100, as its Q4 net revenue of $8.68 billion fell short of the $8.79 billion consensus, coupled with a CEO change that may impact investor confidence.
- Economic Data Impacting Market Sentiment: While signs of an improving US economic outlook coexist with risks from concentrated hiring in a few sectors and inflation above the Fed's target, the market's expectations for future rate hikes have diminished, with the 10-year T-note yield rising to 4.3%, heightening investor unease.
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