Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) Share Price Passes Above 200 Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC)’s share price crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Wednesday . The stock has a 200-day moving average of $18.61 and traded as high as $18.87. Hercules Capital shares last traded at $18.8650, with a volume of 856,629 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on HTGC shares. Lucid Cap Mkts raised Hercules Capital to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Hercules Capital in a research note on Friday, October 31st. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on shares of Hercules Capital from $21.00 to $20.50 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 9th. Capital One Financial set a $19.75 target price on shares of Hercules Capital in a report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Hercules Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have issued a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Hercules Capital currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $20.32.

Hercules Capital Stock Up 1.8%

The company’s 50 day moving average price is $18.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $18.61. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market cap of $3.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.97 and a beta of 0.84.

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

Hercules Capital Cuts Dividend

The business 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 8.5%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 12th. Hercules Capital’s dividend payout ratio is 93.02%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Gayle A. Crowell bought 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, November 3rd. The shares were 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 approximately $1,398,978.79. This trade represents a 8.25% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Kingstone Capital Partners Texas LLC bought a new position in shares of Hercules Capital during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $522,447,000. Marshall Wace LLP bought a new position in shares of Hercules Capital in the third quarter worth approximately $11,199,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased 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 purchasing an additional 469,989 shares in the last quarter. HRT Financial LP raised 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 purchasing an additional 280,198 shares during the period. Finally, Credit Agricole S A purchased a new position in shares of Hercules Capital during the 3rd quarter valued at $5,271,000. Institutional investors own 19.69% of the company’s stock.

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.