Hecla Reports 183% Increase in Third Quarter 2011 Net Income

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho--()--Hecla Mining Company (“Hecla”) (NYSE:HL) today announced third quarter net income of $55.8 million, or $0.20 per basic share, and earnings after adjustments applicable to common shareholders of $35.4 million or $0.13 per basic share.1 Third quarter silver production was 2.3 million ounces at a cash cost of $0.67 per ounce, net of by-products.2

THIRD QUARTER 2011 HIGHLIGHTS

  • Sales of $120.5 million, a 4% increase over the same period in 2010
  • Net income of $55.8 million, or $0.20 per basic share
  • Earnings after adjustments of $35.4 million, or $0.13 per basic share1
  • Operating cash flow of $60.7 million, a 49% increase over the same period in 2010
  • Silver production of 2.3 million ounces at a total cash cost of $0.67 per ounce, net of by-products2
  • Received final court approval settling the Coeur d'Alene Basin environmental litigation
  • Introduced a new quarterly silver price-linked common stock dividend policy and declared the first dividend under the policy of $0.02 per common stock based on an average realized silver price of $37.02 per ounce during the quarter
  • Increased the capacity under the revolving credit agreement to $100 million
  • Cash and cash equivalents of $414 million at September 30, 20113

"Hecla's financial position and asset base is the strongest it's been in its history after a unique third quarter generating the highest net income and cash position, establishing a dividend, approving the #4 Shaft, initiating work to reopen three mines, and settling the Basin litigation," said Hecla's President and Chief Executive Officer, Phillips S. Baker, Jr. "From this quarter, we are poised to grow production 50% over the next five years."

In addition, Hecla issued a release yesterday providing a detailed update on the pre-development initiatives and exploration efforts during the third quarter, and a subsequent release was issued today announcing the first quarterly silver price-linked common stock dividend under Hecla's new dividend policy.

          (1)   Earnings after adjustments applicable to common shareholders represents a non-U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) measurement. A reconciliation of net income applicable to common shareholders (GAAP) to earnings after adjustments can be found at the end of the release.
 
(2) Total cash cost per ounce of silver represents a non-U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) measurement. A reconciliation of total cash cost to cost of sales and other direct production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization (GAAP) can be found at the end of the release.
 
(3) Subsequent to September 30, 2011, Hecla Limited made payments totaling approximately $168 million for the Coeur d'Alene Basin environmental settlement.
 
 

FINANCIAL OVERVIEW

Hecla reported increased third quarter revenues and cash flow from operating activities as a result of higher metals prices. Net income applicable to common shareholders for the third quarter was impacted by the following four items:

  • A $40.4 million gain on base metal derivative contracts for the third quarter, compared to a $13.2 million loss for the same period in 2010. A summary of the quantities of base metals committed at September 30, 2011 is included on page 3 of this release.
  • A $27.3 million tax provision compared to $8.1 million in the same period in 2010, as a result of higher pre-tax income in 2011. Our effective income tax rate to date is approximately 33% in 2011 compared to 29% in the same period in 2010.
  • A $4.9 million provision for closed operations and environmental matters primarily for reclamation work at the Grouse Creek site in Idaho.
  • $3.6 million loss related to provisional metals settlements.
  Third Quarter Ended     Nine Months Ended
HIGHLIGHTS  

September 30,
2011

 

September 30,
2010

   

September 30,
2011

   

September 30,
2010

FINANCIAL DATA                    
Sales $ 120,543   $ 115,847 $ 374,767     $ 284,353
Gross profit $ 67,805 $ 54,524 $ 215,169 $ 120,126
Income applicable to common shareholders $ 55,783 $ 16,383 $ 132,181 $ 48,494
Basic income per common share $ 0.20 $ 0.06 $ 0.47 $ 0.19
Diluted income per common share $ 0.19 $ 0.06 $ 0.45 $ 0.18
Net income $ 55,921 $ 19,791 $ 132,595 $ 58,719
Cash provided by operating activities $ 60,721 $ 40,682 $ 187,938 $ 115,473
 

Capital expenditures (including non-cash capital lease additions) at the operations totaled $28.4 million and $74.1 million, respectively, for the third quarter and nine-month period ended September 30, 2011. Lucky Friday's expenditures for the third quarter and first nine months of 2011 were $16.5 million and $45.0 million, respectively, of which the majority was spent on the Lucky Friday #4 Shaft. Greens Creek's expenditures in the third quarter and first nine months of 2011 were $11.9 million and $29.1 million, respectively. Capital expenditures for 2011 are expected to be $110.0 million primarily due to the #4 Shaft construction and an increase in scope of work at Greens Creek.

Pre-development expenditures totaled $1.8 million in the third quarter 2011. This is the first quarter Hecla has incurred expenditures under the pre-development initiatives. Pre-development expenditures in the fourth quarter are expected to be approximately $4.5 million for infrastructure at the Star mine in the Silver Valley, and San Juan Silver JV property in Creede Colorado.

Exploration expenditures for the third quarter and nine-month period ended September 30, 2011 were $9.9 million and $19.0 million, respectively. Exploration expenditures for 2011 are expected to be approximately $27.0 million.

Metals Prices

Realized metals prices continued to increase significantly in 2011 compared to 2010. Realized silver prices in the third quarter of 2011 exceeded those of the same period last year by 73%, while for the first nine months of the year, realized prices were 89% higher than in the same period in 2010.

Third quarter 2011 realized metals prices were lower than those in the second quarter resulting in negative adjustments to provisional settlements of $9.6 million compared to net positive price adjustments to provisional settlements of $11.8 million in the same period in 2010. The negative adjustment to provisional settlements is due largely to a decrease in prices in the time period between the shipment of concentrate and the final settlement. The provisional price adjustment related to zinc and lead contained in our concentrate shipments were largely offset by net gains on forward contracts of $6.0 million for those metals. In addition, results were impacted by a brief delay in concentrate shipments from Greens Creek which reduced sales by $4.6 million and income from operations by $1.4 million.

  Third Quarter Ended     Nine Months Ended
   

September 30,
2011

 

September 30,
2010

   

September 30,
2011

 

September 30,
2010

AVERAGE METAL PRICES                  
Silver -   London PM Fix ($/oz) $ 38.79   $ 18.96 $ 36.21   $ 18.07
Realized price per ounce $ 37.02 $ 21.45 $ 36.45 $ 19.29
Gold - London PM Fix ($/oz) $ 1,700 $ 1,227 $ 1,530 $ 1,177
Realized price per ounce $ 1,799 $ 1,284 $ 1,578 $ 1,219
Lead - LME Cash ($/pound) $ 1.12 $ 0.92 $ 1.15 $ 0.94
Realized price per pound $ 1.01 $ 0.96 $ 1.11 $ 0.94
Zinc - LME Cash ($/pound) $ 1.01 $ 0.92 $ 1.04 $ 0.96
Realized price per pound $ 1.04 $ 0.93 $ 1.05 $ 0.93
 

Base Metals Forward Sales Contracts

The following table summarizes the quantities of base metals committed under financially settled forward sales contracts at September 30, 2011:

  Metric Tonnes Under Contract       Average Price per Pound
    Zinc   Lead       Zinc   Lead
Contracts on provisional sales    
2011 settlements 5,125 2,800 $ 1.03 $ 1.00
 
Contracts on forecasted sales
2011 settlements 2,300 2,275 $ 0.99 $ 1.05
2012 settlements 26,650 18,000 $ 1.11 $ 1.11
2013 settlements 8,275 11,150 $ 1.14 $ 1.17
 

OPERATIONS OVERVIEW

Third quarter silver cash cost, net of by-product credits, was $0.67 per ounce, compared to negative $1.01 per ounce in the same period in 2010. Based on our current 2011 production and cost estimates, and assuming recent metals prices remain for the fourth quarter of 2011, total cash costs, net of by-product credits, are expected to be approximately $1.00 per ounce of silver for the year 2011. The following table provides the production summary on a consolidated basis which includes Greens Creek and Lucky Friday for the third quarter and nine months ended September 30, 2011 and 2010:

  Third Quarter Ended     Nine Months Ended

September 30,
2011

 

September 30,
2010

September 30,
2011

 

September 30,
2010

PRODUCTION SUMMARY
Silver -   Ounces produced 2,287,262 2,712,848 6,992,453 7,825,246
Payable ounces sold 1,954,120 2,877,284 6,196,269 6,946,554
Gold - Ounces produced 14,217 17,985 43,073 52,727
Payable ounces sold 10,558 16,646 33,892 42,921
Lead - Tons produced 11,226 12,453 30,956 36,217
Payable tons sold 9,218 12,168 26,004 30,951
Zinc - Tons produced 19,316 21,176 55,970 65,011
Payable tons sold 11,804 15,410 37,987 48,366
Total cash cost per ounce of silver produced (1) $ 0.67 $ (1.01 ) $ 0.75 $ (1.92 )
 
          (1)   Total cash cost per ounce of silver represents a non-U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) measurement. A reconciliation of total cash costs to cost of sales and other direct production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization (GAAP) can be found at the end of this release.
 
 

Greens Creek Mine - Alaska

Silver production at Greens Creek was 1.4 million ounces in the third quarter of 2011 and 4.5 million ounces in the first nine months of 2011, compared to 1.9 million ounces and 5.3 million ounces, respectively, in the same periods in 2010. The decrease in silver production year-over-year is due to lower silver ore grade and reduced ore volume. As expected, the lower silver grades in the third quarter are due to differences in the sequencing of production according to the mine plan.

Mining and milling costs per ton were up by 16% and 37%, respectively, for the third quarter and 16% and 35%, respectively, for the first nine months of 2011. The increase in both periods was driven primarily by lower ore volume and higher electric power costs. Electric power costs in 2011 have been higher than in 2010 since there has been reduced availability of less expensive hydroelectric power due to lower amounts of precipitation in Southeastern Alaska. Hecla benefited from increased hydroelectric power availability in September 2011 due to higher amounts of precipitation, and anticipate its sustained use for the remainder of the year.

Total cash cost per ounce of silver produced at Greens Creek was negative $2.98 and negative $2.04 net of by-products, for the third quarter and first nine months of 2011, respectively, compared to negative $3.05 and negative $4.61 for the same respective periods in 2010. The increase in total cash cost per ounce quarter-over-quarter is due to higher production costs, treatment costs, and mine license tax by $6.22, $5.98, and $0.49 per ounce, respectively. The increase in production costs is mainly attributable to lower silver ounces produced, and to a lesser extent, higher power costs due to increased reliance on more expensive diesel-generated power. This is partially offset by higher by-product credits of $12.62 per ounce resulting from higher average market zinc, lead, and gold prices. The higher mine license tax and treatment costs are the result of higher metals prices.

Lucky Friday Mine - Idaho

Silver production at Lucky Friday was 0.9 million ounces in the third quarter of 2011 and 2.5 million ounces in the first nine months of 2011, which is substantially equal to the silver production for the respective periods in 2010.

Mining and milling costs per ton were up by 7% and 11%, respectively, for the third quarter and up by 9% and 10%, respectively, for the first nine months of 2011, driven primarily by increased cost of fuel, consumable underground materials, reagents, electric power, and maintenance supplies.

Total cash cost per ounce of silver produced at Lucky Friday was $5.94 and $5.82, net of by-product credits, for the third quarter and first nine months of 2011, respectively, compared to $3.38 and $3.67, for the same periods in 2010. The increase in total cash cost per ounce quarter-over-quarter was primarily due to higher employee profit sharing, higher treatment costs, and lower lead and zinc by-product credits by $1.82, $0.72, and $1.06 per ounce, respectively, which were partially offset by lower production costs of $1.12 per ounce. Higher profit sharing and treatment costs were due to higher metals prices and lower by-product credits as the result of lower lead and zinc production.

Lucky Friday #4 Shaft Construction and Optimization Study

Construction at the Lucky Friday #4 Shaft continued to advance in the third quarter. With set-up activities for the #4 Shaft largely complete, work will now be primarily focused on shaft sinking activities until project completion. The total project is now 41% complete, and 80% of major procurements have been ordered or installed. The #4 Shaft construction remains on time and on budget with an expected completion by year-end 2014.

Capital expenditures for the #4 Shaft in the third quarter and year to date were $9.9 million and $32.3 million, respectively, for a total of approximately $81 million invested to date on the project. Total project capital is expected to be approximately $200 million.

In addition, an optimization study is underway at the Lucky Friday to evaluate throughput increases at the mine. Production is limited by mill capacity; therefore, this study will determine the mine's capacity and the economics of increasing mill capacity. This study is expected to be complete by year-end.

NEW APPOINTMENTS

Hecla welcomed Mr. Larry Radford as the new Vice President of Operations on October 19, 2011. In this role, Mr. Radford will oversee Hecla's operations, development projects, and pre-development initiatives and will be based in the Coeur d'Alene corporate office in Idaho. Mr. Radford is a Mining Engineer with about 30 years of experience in the mining industry, providing operational and technical support to large-scale operations in the United States, Chile, Brazil, and Australia.

CONFERENCE CALL AND WEBCAST

A conference call and webcast will be held Tuesday, November 8, at 1:00 p.m. Eastern Time to discuss these results. You may join the conference call by dialing toll-free 1-866-543-6407 or 1-617-213-8898 internationally. The participant passcode is HECLA. Hecla's live and archived webcast can be accessed at www.hecla-mining.com under Investors or via Thomson StreetEvents Network.

ABOUT HECLA

Established in 1891, Hecla Mining Company has distinguished itself as the largest and lowest cash cost silver producer in the U.S. The company has two operating mines and exploration properties in four world-class silver mining districts in the U.S. and Mexico. With a solid asset base, a strong cash position and no debt, Hecla is poised for growth.

Cautionary Statements

Statements made which are not historical facts, such as anticipated payments, litigation outcome (including settlement negotiations), production, sales of assets, exploration results and plans, costs, and prices or sales performance are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995. Words such as “may,” “will,” “should,” “expects,” “intends,” “projects,” “believes,” “estimates,” “targets,” “anticipates” and similar expressions are used to identify these forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve a number of risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results to differ materially from those projected, anticipated, expected or implied. These risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, metals price volatility, volatility of metals production and costs, environmental and litigation risks, operating risks, project development risks, political risks, labor issues, ability to raise financing and exploration risks and results. Refer to the company's Form 10-K and 10-Q reports for a more detailed discussion of factors that may impact expected future results. The company undertakes no obligation of updating forward-looking statements other than as may be required by law.

Cautionary Statements to Investors on Reserves and Resources

The United States Securities and Exchange Commission permits mining companies, in their filings with the SEC, to disclose only those mineral deposits that a company can economically and legally extract or produce. We use certain terms on this release, such as “resource,” “other resources,” and “mineralized materials” that the SEC guidelines strictly prohibit us from including in our filings with the SEC. U.S. investors are urged to consider closely the disclosure in our Form 10-K and Form 10-Q. You can review and obtain copies of these filings from the SEC's website at www.sec.gov.

For further information, please contact:

Mélanie Hennessey       Direct Main: 800-HECLA91 (800-432-5291)
Vice President - Investor Relations

Email: hmc-info@hecla-mining.com

Direct: 604-694-7729

Website: www.hecla-mining.com

 
Hecla Canada Ltd. Hecla Mining Company
400 - 580 Hornby Street 6500 N. Mineral Drive, Suite 200
Vancouver, British Columbia Coeur d'Alene, Idaho 83815
V6C 3B6 Canada
 
 

HECLA MINING COMPANY

Consolidated Statements of Income

(dollars and shares in thousands, except per share amounts - unaudited)

   
Third Quarter Ended Nine Months Ended

September 30,
2011

 

September 30,
2010

September 30,
2011

 

September 30,
2010

Sales of products $ 120,543   $ 115,847   $ 374,767   $ 284,353  
Cost of sales and other direct production costs 41,639 46,357 125,033 118,172
Depreciation, depletion and amortization 11,099   14,966   34,565   46,055  
52,738   61,323   159,598   164,227  
Gross profit 67,805   54,524   215,169   120,126  
 
Other operating expenses:
General and administrative 5,559 3,684 14,808 12,461
Exploration 9,872 6,917 19,012 16,166
Pre-development 1,752 1,752
Other operating expense 1,612 1,460 5,699 4,025
Provision for closed operations and reclamation 5,521   962   7,883   5,727  
24,316   13,023   49,154   38,379  
Income from operations 43,489   41,501   166,015   81,747  
Other income (expense):
Gain (loss) on sale or impairment of investments 611 (151 )
Gain (loss) on derivative contracts 40,382 (13,195 ) 38,907 (11,196 )
Interest and other income (214 ) 70 (91 ) 137
Interest expense (411 ) (505 ) (2,384 ) (1,712 )
39,757   (13,630 ) 37,043   (12,922 )
Income before income taxes 83,246 27,871 203,058 68,825
Income tax provision (27,325 ) (8,080 ) (70,463 ) (10,106 )
Net income 55,921 19,791 132,595 58,719
Preferred stock dividends (138 ) (3,408 ) (414 ) (10,225 )
Income applicable to common shareholders $ 55,783   $ 16,383   $ 132,181   $ 48,494  
Basic income per common share after preferred dividends $ 0.20   $ 0.06   $ 0.47   $ 0.19  
Diluted income per common share after preferred dividends $ 0.19   $ 0.06   $ 0.45   $ 0.18  
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding – basic 279,541   256,095   279,067   249,039  
Weighted average number of common shares outstanding – diluted 295,000   270,508   295,739   266,145  
 

HECLA MINING COMPANY

Consolidated Balance Sheets

(dollars and share in thousands - unaudited)

     

September 30,
2011

December 31,
2010

ASSETS          
Current assets:
Cash and cash equivalents $ 413,743 $ 283,606
Investments 1,474
Accounts receivable 29,095 36,840
Inventories 25,739 19,131
Current deferred income taxes 54,774 87,287
Other current assets 19,461   3,683  
Total current assets 542,812 432,021
Non-current investments 3,305 1,194
Non-current restricted cash and investments 926 10,314
Properties, plants, equipment and mineral interests, net 872,860 833,288
Non-current deferred income taxes 71,795 100,072
Other non-current assets and deferred charges 24,022   5,604  
Total assets $ 1,515,720   $ 1,382,493  
           
LIABILITIES          
Current liabilities:
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities $ 51,630 $ 31,725
Accrued payroll and related benefits 11,369 10,789
Accrued taxes 9,766 16,042
Current portion of capital leases 3,514 2,481
Current portion of accrued reclamation and closure costs 178,415 175,484
Current derivative contract liabilities   20,016  
Total current liabilities 254,694 256,537
Capital leases 4,070 3,792
Accrued reclamation and closure costs 141,923 143,313
Other noncurrent liabilities 15,990   16,598  
Total liabilities 416,677   420,240  
           
SHAREHOLDERS’ EQUITY          
Preferred stock 39 543
Common stock 70,003 64,704
Capital surplus 1,181,559 1,179,751
Accumulated deficit (133,398 ) (265,577 )
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (16,640 ) (15,117 )
Treasury stock (2,520 ) (2,051 )
Total shareholders’ equity 1,099,043   962,253  
Total liabilities and shareholders’ equity $ 1,515,720   $ 1,382,493  
Common shares outstanding 279,621   258,486  
 

HECLA MINING COMPANY

Consolidated Statements of Cash Flows

(dollars in thousands - unaudited)

 
Nine Months Ended
   

September 30,
2011

 

September 30,
2010

OPERATING ACTIVITIES        
Net income $ 132,595   $ 58,719
Non-cash elements included in net income:
Depreciation, depletion and amortization 34,769 46,190
Gain on sale of investments (611 ) (588 )
Loss on impairment of investments 739
Provision for reclamation and closure costs 832 2,784
Stock compensation 1,497 3,336
Deferred income taxes 60,790 2,070
Amortization of loan origination fees 498 468
(Gain) loss on derivative contracts (56,512 ) 11,586
Other non-cash charges, net 932 690
Change in assets and liabilities:
Accounts receivable 7,745 (22,385 )
Inventories (6,608 ) 512
Other current and non-current assets 373 1,026
Accounts payable and accrued liabilities 17,233 16,537
Accrued payroll and related benefits 581 (5,207 )
Accrued taxes (6,276 ) 4,367
Accrued reclamation and closure costs and other non-current liabilities 100   (5,371 )
Cash provided by operating activities 187,938   115,473  
         
INVESTING ACTIVITIES        
Additions to properties, plants, equipment and mineral interests (64,381 ) (48,725 )
Proceeds from sale of investments 1,366 1,138
Proceeds from disposition of properties, plants and equipment 113
Purchases of investments (3,200 )
Changes in restricted cash and investment balances 9,388   1,476  
Net cash used in investing activities (56,714 ) (46,111 )
         
FINANCING ACTIVITIES        
Proceeds from exercise of stock options and warrants 5,108 45,562
Acquisition of treasury shares (469 ) (693 )
Dividends paid to preferred shareholders (3,684 ) (1,105 )
Repayments of capital leases (2,042 ) (1,227 )
Net cash (used) provided by financing activities (1,087 ) 42,537  
Net increase in cash and cash equivalents 130,137 111,899
Cash and cash equivalents at beginning of period 283,606   104,678  
Cash and cash equivalents at end of period $ 413,743   $ 216,577  
 

HECLA MINING COMPANY

Production Data

   
Third Quarter Ended Nine Months Ended
   

September 30,
2011

 

September 30,
2010

 

September 30,
2011

 

September 30,
2010

GREENS CREEK UNIT                
Tons of ore milled

200,961

  203,627

580,211

  606,723
Mining cost per ton

$

49.86

$

42.90

$

48.80

$

42.07

Milling cost per ton

$

33.58

$

24.57

$

31.11

$

22.98

Ore grade milled - Silver (oz./ton)

9.64

12.76

10.85

12.03
Ore grade milled - Gold (oz./ton)

0.12

0.14

0.12

0.13
Ore grade milled - Lead (%)

3.7

4.3

3.6

4.2
Ore grade milled - Zinc (%)

10.0

10.4

9.9

10.9
Silver produced (oz.)

1,350,609

1,852,250

4,507,727

5,285,184
Gold produced (oz.)

14,217

17,985

43,073

52,727
Lead produced (tons)

5,799

6,738

16,007

19,953
Zinc produced (tons)

17,318

18,777

49.913

57,938
Total cash cost per ounce of silver produced (1)

$

(2.98

)

$

(3.05

)

$

(2.04

)

$

(4.61

)
Capital additions (in thousands)  

$

11,921

   

$

5,174

   

$

29,106

   

$

10,925

 
LUCKY FRIDAY UNIT                
Tons of ore processed

84,531

89,414

249,034

260,883
Mining cost per ton

$

58.54

$

54.62

$

59.39

$

54.48

Milling cost per ton

$

16.26

$

14.63

$

16.20

$

14.73

Ore grade milled - Silver (oz./ton)

11.74

10.26

10.68

10.42
Ore grade milled - Lead (%)

6.84

6.8

6.46

6.68
Ore grade milled - Zinc (%)

2.74

3.04

2.81

3.09
Silver produced (oz.)

936,652

860,598

2,484,725

2,540,062
Lead produced (tons)

5,427

5,716

14,949

16,264
Zinc produced (tons)

1,999

2,400

6,058

7,073
Total cash cost per ounce of silver produced (1)

$

5.94

$

3.38

$

5.82

$

3.67

Capital additions (in thousands)

$

16,524

$

18,001

$

45,026

$

38,530

 
          (1)   Total cash costs per ounce of silver represents a non-U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) measurement. A reconciliation of total cash costs to cost of sales and other direct production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization (GAAP) can be found in the cash costs per ounce reconciliation section of this news release. Gold, lead and zinc produced have been treated as by-product credits in calculating silver costs per ounce.
 
 

HECLA MINING COMPANY

Reconciliation of Cash Costs per Ounce to Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)(1)

(dollars and ounces in thousands, except per ounce - unaudited)

     

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

    2011     2010     2011     2010
RECONCILIATION TO GAAP, ALL OPERATIONS                      
Total cash costs $ 1,533     $ (2,741 ) $ 5,257     $ (15,058 )
Divided by ounces produced 2,288   2,713   6,993   7,825  
Total cash cost per ounce produced $ 0.67   $ (1.01 ) $ 0.75   $ (1.92 )
Reconciliation to GAAP:
Total cash costs $ 1,533 $ (2,741 ) $ 5,257 $ (15,058 )
Depreciation, depletion and amortization 11,099 14,966 34,565 46,055
Treatment costs (26,078 ) (22,217 ) (76,261 ) (68,411 )
By-product credits 69,400 66,436 200,842 199,897
Change in product inventory (3,010 ) 4,215 (5,641 ) 1,357
Reclamation and other costs (206 ) 664   836   387  
Cost of sales and other direct production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization (GAAP)   $ 52,738       $ 61,323       $ 159,598       $ 164,227  
GREENS CREEK UNIT                      
Total cash costs $ (4,029 ) $ (5,657 ) $ (9,216 ) $ (24,368 )
Divided by ounces produced 1,351   1,852   4,508   5,285  
Total cash cost per ounce produced $ (2.98 ) $ (3.05 ) $ (2.04 ) $ (4.61 )
Reconciliation to GAAP:
Total cash costs $ (4,029 ) $ (5,657 ) $ (9,216 ) $ (24,368 )
Depreciation, depletion and amortization 9,592 12,952 29,981 40,140
Treatment costs (20,187 ) (17,434 ) (59,522 ) (55,044 )
By-product credits 55,522 52,772 159,586 161,548
Change in product inventory (3,346 ) 3,867 (5,686 ) 1,437
Reclamation and other costs (463 ) 687   (826 ) 349  
Cost of sales and other direct production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization (GAAP)   $ 37,089       $ 47,187       $ 114,317       $ 124,062  
LUCKY FRIDAY UNIT    
Total cash costs $ 5,562 $ 2,916 $ 14,473 $ 9,310
Divided by silver ounces produced 937   861   2,485   2,540  
Total cash cost per ounce produced $ 5.94   $ 3.38   $ 5.82   $ 3.67  
Reconciliation to GAAP:
Total cash costs $ 5,562 $ 2,916 $ 14,473 $ 9,310
Depreciation, depletion and amortization 1,507 2,014 4,584 5,914
Treatment costs (5,891 ) (4,783 ) $ (16,739 ) (13,367 )
By-product credits 13,878 13,664 41,256 38,349
Change in product inventory 336 348 $ 45 (79 )
Reclamation and other costs 257   (23 ) 1,662   38  
Cost of sales and other direct production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization (GAAP) $ 15,649   $ 14,136   $ 45,281   $ 40,165  
 
          (1)   Cash costs per ounce of silver represent non-U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) measurements that the Company believes provide management and investors an indication of net cash flow. Management also uses this measurement for the comparative monitoring of performance of mining operations period-to-period from a cash flow perspective. "Total cash cost per ounce" is a measure developed by gold companies in an effort to provide a comparable standard; however, there can be no assurance that our reporting of this non-GAAP measure is similar to that reported by other mining companies. Cost of sales and other direct production costs and depreciation, depletion and amortization, was the most comparable financial measures calculated in accordance with GAAP to total cash costs.
 
 

HECLA MINING COMPANY

Reconciliation of Net Income Applicable to Common Shareholders (GAAP) to Earnings After Adjustments(1)

(dollars and ounces in thousands, except per share amounts - unaudited)

     

Three Months Ended
September 30,

 

Nine Months Ended
September 30,

2011     2010   2011     2010
Net income applicable to common shareholders (GAAP) $ 55,783   $ 16,383 $ 132,181   $ 48,494
Adjusting items:
(Gains)/losses on derivatives contracts (40,382 ) 13,195 (38,907 ) 11,196
Environmental accruals 4,851 4,851 2,439
Provisional price (gains)/losses 3,621 (6,432 ) 3,340 (2,013 )
Income tax effect of above adjustments 11,488   (2,435 ) 11,058   (4,184 )
Earnings after adjustments applicable to common shareholders $ 35,361   $ 20,711   $ 112,523   $ 55,932  
Weighted average shares – basic 279,541 256,095 279,067 249,039
Weighted average shares – diluted 295,000 270,508 295,739 266,145
Basic earnings after adjustments per common share $ 0.13 $ 0.08 $ 0.40 $ 0.22
Diluted earnings after adjustments per common share $ 0.12 $ 0.08 $ 0.38 $ 0.21
 
          (1)   Earnings After Adjustments and Earnings After Adjustments per share are non-GAAP measures which are indicators of our performance. They exclude certain impacts which are of a nature which we believe are not reflective of our underlying performance. Management believes that earnings after adjustments per common share provides investors with the ability to better evaluate our underlying operating performance.
 
 

Contacts

Hecla Mining Company
Mélanie Hennessey
Vice President - Investor Relations
Direct: 604-694-7729
Direct Main: 800-HECLA91 (800-432-5291)
hmc-info@hecla-mining.com
www.hecla-mining.com

Contacts

Hecla Mining Company
Mélanie Hennessey
Vice President - Investor Relations
Direct: 604-694-7729
Direct Main: 800-HECLA91 (800-432-5291)
hmc-info@hecla-mining.com
www.hecla-mining.com