Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) Downgraded by Wall Street Zen to Hold

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) was downgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report released on Saturday.

A number of other research analysts also recently weighed in on HTGC. Piper Sandler cut their price target 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. Capital One Financial set a $19.75 target price on shares of Hercules Capital in a research report on Monday. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Hercules Capital in a report on Friday, October 31st. Finally, UBS Group decreased their price target on Hercules Capital from $19.00 to $18.50 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $20.32.

Hercules Capital Trading Down 0.3%

Shares of NYSE HTGC opened at $18.49 on Friday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.97 and a 200 day simple moving average of $18.52. Hercules Capital has a 52 week low of $15.65 and a 52 week high of $22.04. The stock has a market cap of $3.36 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 10.75 and a beta of 0.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a current ratio of 1.65.

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, October 30th. The financial services provider reported $0.49 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.01. The firm had revenue of $138.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $136.95 million. Hercules Capital had a net margin of 60.05% and a return on equity of 16.13%. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.51 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Hercules Capital will post 1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Hercules Capital

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Allworth Financial LP raised its position in shares of Hercules Capital by 11.4% during the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 6,652 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $126,000 after buying an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Investment Research Partners LLC acquired a new position in Hercules Capital in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $394,000. CIBC Bancorp USA Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Hercules Capital in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,104,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hercules Capital by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 37,819 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $715,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its position in shares of Hercules Capital by 32.4% during the third quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 206,341 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $3,893,000 after purchasing an additional 50,509 shares during the period. 19.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.