Hecla will bounce back

Article Excerpt

HECLA MINING $4.36 (New York symbol HL; TSINetwork Rating: Extra Risk) (208-769-4100; www.hecla-mining.com; Shares o/s: 399.0 million; Market cap: $1.7 billion; Dividend yield: 0.2%) explores for, mines and processes both silver and gold in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. In the three months ended December 31, 2017, the company’s silver output fell 24.9%, to 2.9 million ounces from 4.0 million. That decrease was because of lower ore grades at Hecla’s mines as it shifted to new deposits. An ongoing labour strike at its Lucky Friday site also lowered production. Silver and gold prices will heavily influence Hecla’s share price. That’s the same for most precious-metal producers. Meanwhile, the company’s expected return to normal production levels as well as its ongoing positive cash flow give it speculative appeal. Hecla Mining is a buy. buy…