HECLA MINING CODE
For the period ended Mar 31, 2024. Filed May 9, 2024.
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A company's report for each of its first three quarters. The financial statements are not audited. It shows how the business has moved since the last annual report, and what management says changed.
Mar 31, 2024 · Filed May 9, 2024
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Financial Liquidity and Capital Resources
We have a disciplined cash management strategy of maintaining financial flexibility to execute our capital priorities and provide long-term value to our stockholders. Consistent with that strategy, we aim to maintain an acceptable level of net debt and sufficient liquidity to fund debt service costs, operations, capital expenditures, exploration and pre-development projects, while returning cash to stockholders through dividends and potential share repurchases.
At March 31, 2024, we had $80.2 million in cash and cash equivalents, of which $5.5 million was held in foreign subsidiaries' local currency that we anticipate utilizing for near-term operating, exploration or capital costs by those foreign subsidiaries. At March 31, 2024, we had utilized $140.0 million drawn on our credit facility of $150 million, with $6.8 million used for letters of credit and the remainder available as borrowings. We also have USD cash and cash equivalent balances held by our foreign subsidiaries that, if repatriated, may be subject to withholding taxes. We expect that there would be no additional tax burden upon repatriation after considering the cash cost associated with the withholding taxes. We believe that our liquidity and capital resources from our U.S. operations are adequate to fund our U.S. operations and corporate activities.
Pursuant to our common stock dividend policy described in Note 12 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statementsin our 2023 Form 10-K, our Board of Directors declared and paid dividends on our common stock of $3.9 million and $3.8 million, in the first quarters of 2024 and 2023, respectively. Our dividend policy has a silver-linked component which ties the amount of declared common stock dividends to our realized silver price for the preceding quarter. Another component of our common stock dividend policy anticipates paying an annual minimum dividend.
For illustrative purposes only, the table below summarizes potential dividend amounts under our dividend policy.
| Quarterly Average Realized Silver Price ($ per ounce) | Quarterly Silver-Linked Dividend ($ per share) | Annualized Silver-Linked Dividend ($ per share) | Annualized Minimum Dividend ($ per share) | Annualized Dividends per Share: Silver-Linked and Minimum ($ per share) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Less than $20 | $— | $— | $0.015 | $0.015 |
| $20 | $0.0025 | $0.01 | $0.015 | $0.025 |
| $25 | $0.010 | $0.04 | $0.015 | $0.055 |
| $30 | $0.015 | $0.06 | $0.015 | $0.075 |
| $35 | $0.025 | $0.10 | $0.015 | $0.115 |
| $40 | $0.035 | $0.14 | $0.015 | $0.155 |
| $45 | $0.045 | $0.18 | $0.015 | $0.195 |
| $50 | $0.055 | $0.22 | $0.015 | $0.235 |
The declaration and payment of dividends on our common stock is at the sole discretion of our Board of Directors, and there can be no assurance that we will continue to declare and pay common stock dividends in the future.
Pursuant to our stock repurchase program described in Note 12 of Notes to Consolidated Financial Statements in our 2023 Form 10-K, we are authorized to repurchase up to 20 million shares of our outstanding common stock from time to time in open market or privately negotiated transactions, depending on prevailing market conditions and other factors. The repurchase program may be modified, suspended or discontinued by us at any time. Whether or not we engage in repurchases from time to time may depend on a variety of factors, including not only price and cash resources, but customary black-out restrictions, whether we have any material inside information, limitations on share repurchases or cash usage that may be imposed by our credit agreement or in connection with issuances of securities, alternative uses for cash, applicable law, and other investment opportunities from time to time. As of March 31, 2024 and December 31, 2023, 934,100 shares had been purchased in prior periods at an average price of $3.99 per share, leaving 19.1 million shares that may yet be purchased under the program. We have not repurchased any shares since June 2014.
As discussed in Note 6 of Notes to Condensed Consolidated Financial Statements (Unaudited) pursuant to an equity distribution agreement dated February 18, 2021, we may offer and sell up to 60 million shares of our common stock from time to time to or through sales agents in “at-the-market” offerings. Sales of the shares, if any, will be made by means of ordinary brokers transactions or as otherwise agreed between the Company and the agents as principals. Whether or not we engage in sales from time to time may depend on a variety of factors, including share price, our cash resources, customary black-out restrictions, and whether we have any material inside information. The equity distribution agreement can be terminated by us at any time. Any sales of shares under that agreement are registered under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, pursuant to a shelf registration statement on Form S-3. During the three months ended March 31, 2024, we sold 248,561 shares under the agreement for proceeds of $1.1 million, net of commissions and fees of $0.04 million.
As a result of our current cash balances, the performance of our current and expected operations, current metals prices, proceeds from potential at-the-market sales of common stock, and availability under our New Credit Agreement, we believe we will be able to meet our obligations and other potential cash requirements during the next 12 months and beyond. Our obligations and other uses of cash may include, but are not limited to: debt service obligations related to the Senior Notes and IQ Notes; principal and interest payments under our Credit Agreement; care-and-maintenance; capital expenditures at our operations; potential acquisitions of other mining companies or properties; regulatory matters; litigation; potential repurchases of our common stock under the program described above; and payment of dividends on common stock, if declared by our Board of Directors.
We currently estimate a range of approximately $190 to $210 million (before any lease financing) will be spent in 2024 on capital expenditures, primarily for equipment, infrastructure, and development at our mines, including $47.6 million already incurred as of March 31, 2024. We also estimate exploration and pre-development expenditures will total approximately $32.5 million in 2024, including $4.3 million already incurred as of March 31, 2024. Our expenditures for these items and our related plans for 2024 may change based upon our financial position, metals prices, and other considerations. Our ability to fund the activities described above will depend on our operating performance, metals prices, our ability to estimate revenues and costs, sources of liquidity available to us, including the revolving credit facility, and other factors. A sustained downturn in metals prices, significant increase in operational or capital costs or other uses of cash, our inability to access the credit facility or the sources of liquidity discussed above, or other factors beyond our control could impact our plans.
We may defer some capital investment and/or exploration and pre-development activities, engage in asset sales or secure additional capital if necessary to maintain liquidity. We also may pursue additional acquisition opportunities, which could require additional equity issuances or other forms of financing. There can be no assurance that such financing will be available to us.
Our liquid assets include (in millions):
| March 31, 2024 | December 31, 2023 | |
|---|---|---|
| Cash and cash equivalents held in U.S. dollars | $74.7 | $98.8 |
| Cash and cash equivalents held in foreign currency | 5.5 | 7.6 |
| Total cash and cash equivalents | 80.2 | 106.4 |
| Marketable equity securities - non-current | 32.9 | 33.7 |
| Total cash, cash equivalents and investments | $113.1 | $140.1 |
Cash and cash equivalents decreased by $26.2 million in the first three months of 2024. Cash held in foreign currencies represents balances in Canadian dollars and Mexican Pesos. The value of non-current marketable equity securities decreased by $0.8 million.
| Three Months Ended | ||
|---|---|---|
| March 31, 2024 | March 31, 2023 | |
| Cash provided by operating activities (in millions) | $17.1 | $40.6 |
Cash provided by operating activities for the three months ended March 31, 2024 of $17.1 million represented a $23.5 million decrease compared to the $40.6 million provided in the same period for 2023. $14.7 million of the variance was attributable to a higher income adjusted for non-cash items, reflecting higher non-cash depreciation, depletion and amortization expense and higher inventory write downs. The remaining variance was attributable to negative net working capital changes resulting from the resumption of operations following suspension at Lucky Friday consuming working capital, higher accounts receivable balances reflecting the timing of sales at Greens Creek and Keno Hill and an increase in inventory at Keno Hill
| Three Months Ended | ||
|---|---|---|
| March 31, 2024 | March 31, 2023 | |
| Cash used in investing activities (in millions) | $(47.5) | $(54.4) |
During the three months ended March 31, 2024, we invested $47.6 million in capital expenditures, a decrease of $6.9 million compared to the same period in 2023. The variance was primarily due to lower capital spending at Keno Hill and Casa Berardi.
| Three Months Ended | ||
|---|---|---|
| March 31, 2024 | March 31, 2023 | |
| Cash provided by financing activities (in millions) | $4.9 | $5.0 |
During the three months ended March 31, 2024, we had net draws of $12.0 million on our revolving credit facility resulting in $140.0 million outstanding at an interest rate of 8.0% on March 31, 2024. During the periods ended March 31, 2024 and 2023:
we paid cash dividends on our common and preferred stock totaling $4.0 million and $3.9 million, respectively.
we issued stock under our ATM program described above for net proceeds of $1.1 million and $11.9 million, respectively,and
we made repayments on our finance leases of $3.0 million and $2.5 million, respectively.
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