Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) Given Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) has earned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the nine research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, six have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $20.3214.

A number of analysts have recently commented on HTGC shares. UBS Group reduced their price target on shares of Hercules Capital from $19.00 to $18.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Piper Sandler dropped their target price on shares of Hercules Capital from $21.00 to $20.50 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Hercules Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Hercules Capital in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Finally, Capital One Financial set a $19.75 target price on Hercules Capital in a report on Monday, December 15th.

Insider Activity

In other Hercules Capital news, Director Gayle A. Crowell bought 6,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The stock was bought at an average cost of $17.77 per share, for a total transaction of $106,620.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 78,727 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,398,978.79. This represents a 8.25% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hercules Capital

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC bought a new position in Hercules Capital in the 2nd quarter worth $522,447,000. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in shares of Hercules Capital in the third quarter worth about $11,199,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its stake in shares of Hercules Capital by 425.6% in the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 580,414 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $10,610,000 after buying an additional 469,989 shares during the period. HRT Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Hercules Capital by 100.9% during the 2nd quarter. HRT Financial LP now owns 558,010 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $10,200,000 after buying an additional 280,198 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Credit Agricole S A bought a new position in shares of Hercules Capital during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $5,271,000. 19.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hercules Capital Stock Performance

Shares of HTGC opened at $18.68 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $3.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.86 and a beta of 0.85. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $18.10 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $18.54. Hercules Capital has a 12 month low of $15.65 and a 12 month high of $22.04. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98.

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48 by $0.01. Hercules Capital had a return on equity of 16.13% and a net margin of 60.05%.The firm had revenue of $138.09 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $136.95 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $0.51 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that Hercules Capital will post 1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hercules Capital Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th were paid a $0.40 dividend. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.6%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 12th. Hercules Capital’s dividend payout ratio is 93.02%.

Hercules Capital Company Profile

Hercules Capital, Inc is a specialty finance company organized as a business development company (BDC) that provides tailored debt financing solutions to high‐growth companies. Through its external management structure, Hercules Capital extends senior secured loans, subordinated debt and growth capital designed to support research and development, expansion initiatives and working capital needs. The firm primarily partners with venture capital and private equity sponsors to finance innovative enterprises across various developmental stages.

The company’s investment portfolio is concentrated in technology, life sciences and sustainable and renewable technology sectors, reflecting its focus on industries with strong growth prospects and recurring capital requirements.