NEW YORK (TheStreet) -- Shares of Hecla Mining Co. are higher by 4.40% to $2.96 in early afternoon trading on Thursday, as gold mining and related stocks gain today, due to the rise in the price of the precious metal. Gold for February delivery is up by 2.26% to $1,262.40 per ounce on the COMEX this afternoon. A surprise announcement from the Swiss National Bank sent gold prices soaring. The SNB set the equities and currency markets on edge when it said it was abandoning its three-year policy of capping the Swiss franc against the euro, Bloomberg reports. Exclusive Report: Jim Cramer's Best Stocks For 2015 STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12 months. Learn more. The bank stopped its cap of 1.20 franc per euro and lowered the interest rate on sight deposits, which expanded a cut that was announced less than a month ago. By changing its policy the SNB is attempting to reinforce its economy's defenses before the European Central Bank purchases government bonds that could wind up crumpling the franc cap, Bloomberg added. "Gold is gaining from a risk-off situation because nobody expected the Swiss central bank not to keep that cap, and this has created potential big losses in many places and is obviously triggering some flight to safety," a senior manager with Saxo Bank told Reuters. Separately, TheStreet Ratings team rates HECLA MINING CO as a Sell with a ratings score of D+. TheStreet Ratings Team has this to say about their recommendation: "We rate HECLA MINING CO (HL) a SELL. This is driven by a few notable weaknesses, which we believe should have a greater impact than any strengths, and could make it more difficult for investors to achieve positive results compared to most of the stocks we cover. Among the areas we feel are negative, one of the most important has been a generally disappointing historical performance in the stock itself." Highlights from the analysis by TheStreet Ratings Team goes as follows: HL has underperformed the S&P 500 Index, declining 7.87% from its price level of one year ago. The fact that the stock is now selling for less than others in its industry in relation to its current earnings is not reason enough to justify a buy rating at this time. 35.81% is the gross profit margin for HECLA MINING CO which we consider to be strong. Regardless of HL's high profit margin, it has managed to decrease from the same period last year. Despite the mixed results of the gross profit margin, HL's net profit margin of 2.71% is significantly lower than the industry average. The return on equity has improved slightly when compared to the same quarter one year prior. This can be construed as a modest strength in the organization. Compared to other companies in the Metals & Mining industry and the overall market on the basis of return on equity, HECLA MINING CO has outperformed in comparison with the industry average, but has underperformed when compared to that of the S&P 500. HECLA MINING CO reported significant earnings per share improvement in the most recent quarter compared to the same quarter a year ago. This company has reported somewhat volatile earnings recently. But, we feel it is poised for EPS growth in the coming year. During the past fiscal year, HECLA MINING CO swung to a loss, reporting -$0.08 versus $0.05 in the prior year. This year, the market expects an improvement in earnings (-$0.04 versus -$0.08). The net income growth from the same quarter one year ago has significantly exceeded that of the S&P 500 and the Metals & Mining industry. The net income increased by 143.5% when compared to the same quarter one year prior, rising from -$8.46 million to $3.68 million. You can view the full analysis from the report here: HL Ratings Report STOCKS TO BUY: TheStreet Quant Ratings has identified a handful of stocks that can potentially TRIPLE in the next 12 months. Learn more.
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