Hecla (HL) Drops 5.5% on Weak 2026 Production Outlook

We recently published 10 Big Names With Painful Declines. Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) was one of the worst performers on Tuesday.

Hecla Mining dropped its share prices by 5.54 percent on Tuesday to close at $28.31 apiece amid concerns about a weaker production outlook for 2026, which would have benefited from a strong gold and silver market environment.

In a statement on Tuesday, Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) announced projections of 15.1 million and 16.5 million ounces of consolidated silver production for 2026, or an implied decline by 3 to 11 percent from the 17.03 million ounces in 2025 amid expected lower milled grades at Greens Creek.

Gold production, on the other hand, is targeted at 134,000 to 146,000 ounces, or a decrease of 3 to 10.9 percent from the 150,509 ounces last year as it expects lower milled grades at its Casa Berardi site.

Hecla (HL) Drops 5.5% on Weak 2026 Production Outlook

Pixabay/Public Domain

Meanwhile, Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) released preliminary results of its production performance last year, with silver production up by 5 percent from 2024 and hitting the top end of its earlier guidance.

All sites hit the company’s production range outlook, with Lucky Friday producing 5.3 million ounces and exceeding the top end of its guidance range.

Meanwhile, gold production hit 150,509 ounces, exceeding its outlook by 509 ounces.

“Our 2025 results demonstrate operational excellence, with 17  million ounces of silver production and every primary silver operation meeting or exceeding guidance. We’re now accelerating investments in our future—nearly doubling our investment in exploration and pre-development to a record $55 million—while maintaining the financial discipline that positions us to generate substantial free cash flow. This is how North America’s premier silver producer creates long-term shareholder value,” said Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) President and CEO Rob Krcmarov.

While we acknowledge the risk and potential of HL as an investment, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and doing so within a shorter time frame. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than HL and that has 10,000% upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.

READ NEXT: 30 Stocks That Should Double in 3 Years and 11 Hidden AI Stocks to Buy Right Now.

Disclosure: None. This article is originally published at Insider Monkey.