Key Points
It was a memorable month for the silver and other precious metals miner, not least because it joined a high-profile index.
The index is closely followed by many analysts and investors tracking small-cap stocks.
Hecla Mining (NYSE: HL) investors probably felt that they hit something of a mother lode in September. On the back of several factors, the company -- which primarily concentrates on silver, but also extracts desired goods from the Earth like gold and zinc -- saw its share price zoom more than 42% higher during the month.
A small-cap star
One major catalyst for this double-digit rise was Hecla's ascension to a prominent stock index, which occurred on Sept. 5 and took effect on Sept. 22. In the quarterly readjustment of its indexes, S&P Dow Jones Indices saw fit to include the mining company on its S&P SmallCap 600 index.
Where to invest $1,000 right now? Our analyst team just revealed what they believe are the 10 best stocks to buy right now, when you join Stock Advisor. See the stocks »
Image source: Getty Images.
Hecla was part of a four-stock class gaining admission; the quartet's other members were offshore oil rig specialist Noble, fintech Q2 Holdings, and medical tech solutions provider Waystar Holding.
Of course, when one stock comes into an index, another must come out. The four departing titles this round were fast food company Jack in the Box, home healthcare specialist Owens & Minor, comestibles company B&G Food and specialized tech enterprise Simulations Plus.
In its press release on the graduation to the S&P SmallCap 600, Hecla quoted CEO Rob Krcmarov as saying that it "reflects both the strength of our assets and the dedication of our people."
While Hecla is well-known in the mining sector since (according to the company) it's the No. 1 silver producer in North America, inclusion in the index has made the company a known quantity to the broader investment community too.
50% more bullish
Another factor cranking Hecla's price up in September was an analyst's 50% price target increase. Several days after the index announcement, RBC Capital's Michael Siperco changed his fair value assessment to $12 per share; previously he had pegged it as being worth $8.
With that kind of heavy lift, no one should be surprised to learn that Siperco maintained his outperform (read: buy) recommendation on the stock.
The reasons for the pundit's move weren't immediately apparent, although it doesn't seem coincidental it occurred just after Hecla's graduation to the S&P SmallCap 600.
The company's second quarter earnings release -- published near the beginning -- very possibly played a role too. Buoyed by generally rising silver prices so far this year, Hecla posted sturdy (24%) year-over-year growth on the top line, to $304 million, with gross profit flipping to a profit of $34 million against an almost $9 million loss in the year-ago period.
Should you invest $1,000 in Hecla Mining right now?
Before you buy stock in Hecla Mining, consider this:
The Motley Fool Stock Advisor analyst team just identified what they believe are the 10 best stocks for investors to buy now… and Hecla Mining wasn’t one of them. The 10 stocks that made the cut could produce monster returns in the coming years.
Consider when Netflix made this list on December 17, 2004... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $621,976!* Or when Nvidia made this list on April 15, 2005... if you invested $1,000 at the time of our recommendation, you’d have $1,150,085!*
Now, it’s worth noting Stock Advisor’s total average return is 1,058% — a market-crushing outperformance compared to 191% for the S&P 500. Don’t miss out on the latest top 10 list, available when you join Stock Advisor.
See the 10 stocks »
*Stock Advisor returns as of September 29, 2025
Eric Volkman has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool recommends Noble Plc. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.