Hecla Mining (HL) Beats Gold and Silver Output Estimates, BMO Raises Price Target

Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) ranks among the best mid-cap materials stocks to buy now. BMO Capital reaffirmed its Market Perform rating on Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) and increased its price target from $6 to $6.50 on August 7. The price target rise comes after Hecla’s production performance, especially in gold output, surpassed BMO’s projections.

Hecla Mining (HL) Beats Gold and Silver Output Estimates, BMO Raises Price Target

In contrast to BMO’s expectations of 4.0 million ounces of silver and 32,100 ounces of gold, the company reported a consolidated production of 4.5 million ounces of silver and 45,900 ounces of gold. The production outperformance, which resulted in a record free cash flow of $103.8 million, was driven by strong grades at the Greens Creek and Casa Berardi mines.

Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) also announced $0.09 earnings per share, higher than the $0.06 average consensus and BMO’s prediction. As net debt decreased due to free cash flow and at-the-market stock issuance, the company’s leverage decreased to 0.7x.

With sites in the United States, Canada, and other countries, Hecla Mining Company (NYSE:HL) is a major supplier of base and precious metals. It holds the title of the largest producer of silver in North America.

While we acknowledge the potential of HL to grow, our conviction lies in the belief that some AI stocks hold greater promise for delivering higher returns and have limited downside risk. If you are looking for an AI stock that is more promising than HL and that has 100x upside potential, check out our report about this cheapest AI stock.

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