Hecla taps key prospect

Article Excerpt

HECLA MINING $3.04 (New York symbol HL; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (208-769-4100; www.hecla-mining.com; Shares outstanding: 477.0 million; Market cap: $1.5 billion; Dividend yield: 0.3%) explores for, mines and processes both silver and gold in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. The company has exercised warrants to acquire 1.25 million shares of Dolly Varden Silver Corp., $0.37, symbol DV on Toronto. Dolly Varden owns several silver properties in northwestern B.C. Hecla now owns 6.8 million shares of Dolly Varden, or 11.87% of the outstanding amount. The holding is a small one for Hecla, but it has appeal: the 88 square-kilometre Dolly Varden site could hold as much as 42.6 million ounces of silver in four deposits. Hecla Mining is a buy. buy…