News

Hecla Mining HL reported a silver production of 4.2 million ounces in the first quarter of 2024. The silver production grew 43% sequentially, reflecting the consistent, strong performance at Greens Creek, the Lucky Friday mine reaching full production in March and the ongoing ramp up at Keno Hill. The gold production was down 2% at 36,592 ounces from the fourth quarter of 2023.

Lead production was 12,100 tons, up 129% on a sequential basis. Zinc output rose 28% to 16,211 tons from the fourth quarter of 2023.

Mine Performances

The Lucky Friday mine produced 1.1 million ounces of silver in the first quarter as the mine completed ramp up to full production in March.

In the first quarter of 2024, Keno Hill produced 646,312 ounces of silver, which was up 6% sequentially. The improvement was attributable to higher throughput (up 29%), partially offset by lower silver grades, which were 26.3 ounces per ton.

The Greens Creek mine produced 2.5 million ounces of silver in the first quarter of 2024, a 10% sequential increase attributed to higher throughput and a 4% increase in grades. Gold production was 14,588 ounces, flat sequentially. The mill achieved a throughput of 2,552 tons per day during the quarter.

The Casa Berardi mine produced 22,004 ounces of gold in the first quarter of 2024, in line with the fourth quarter of 2023. A 5% increase in throughput was offset by lower grades. The mill operated at an average of 4,194 tons per day during the quarter.

Guidance

According to the company, it is on track to produce 17 million ounces of silver in 2024. In 2023, the company had produced 14.3 million ounces of silver.

Shares of Hecla Mining have lost 15.1% in a year against the industry's 5.5% growth.

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Zacks Rank & Stocks to Consider

Hecla Mining currently carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

Some better-ranked stocks from the basic materials space are Ecolab Inc. ECL, Carpenter Technology Corporation CRS and Sylvamo SLVM. ECL, CRS and SLVM sport a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy) at present. You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Ecolab’s 2024 earnings is pegged at $6.39 per share, indicating an increase of 22.7% from the prior year’s reported number. It has an average trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 1.7%. ECL shares have gained 37% in the past year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Carpenter Technology’s 2024 earnings is pegged at $4.00 per share. The consensus estimate for 2024 earnings has moved 1% north in the past 60 days. It has an average trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 14.3%. CRS shares have gained 91% over the last year.

The Zacks Consensus Estimate Sylvamo’s 2024 earnings is pegged at $5.75 per share. The consensus estimate for 2024 earnings has moved up 21% in the past 60 days. It has an average trailing four-quarter earnings surprise of 24%. Sylvamo shares have gained 34% over the last year.

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