Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) Director Thomas Fallon Acquires 20,000 Shares of Stock

Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) Director Thomas Fallon purchased 20,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $15.88 per share, for a total transaction of $317,600.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 120,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,911,459.72. This represents a 19.93% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

Hercules Capital Price Performance

HTGC stock traded down $0.17 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $15.49. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 1,922,594 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,089,612. The stock has a market cap of $2.84 billion, a PE ratio of 8.46 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Hercules Capital, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $15.26 and a fifty-two week high of $21.97. The company’s 50 day moving average is $18.08 and its two-hundred day moving average is $18.36.

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.48. Hercules Capital had a return on equity of 15.97% and a net margin of 63.80%.The business had revenue of $133.25 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $141.57 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.49 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that Hercules Capital, Inc. will post 1.96 EPS for the current year.

Hercules Capital Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be issued a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 25th. Hercules Capital’s dividend payout ratio is presently 87.43%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on HTGC. Capital One Financial set a $19.75 price target on shares of Hercules Capital in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Piper Sandler lowered shares of Hercules Capital from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $20.50 to $17.50 in a report on Friday, February 13th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price target on shares of Hercules Capital from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. Lucid Cap Mkts raised shares of Hercules Capital to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Hercules Capital in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hercules Capital has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $19.29.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hercules Capital

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. CWM LLC increased its holdings in Hercules Capital by 79.6% in the 2nd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 612 shares during the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in shares of Hercules Capital by 173.4% during the second quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,386 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 879 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC purchased a new position in shares of Hercules Capital during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Hercules Capital in the second quarter valued at $27,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hercules Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. 19.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About Hercules Capital

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.