Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) Given Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) has been given an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” by the eight brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, four have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $18.2083.

Several research firms recently commented on HTGC. Piper Sandler lifted their price objective on Hercules Capital from $16.50 to $17.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Citizens Jmp dropped their price target on shares of Hercules Capital from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Hercules Capital from $15.00 to $15.50 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, May 18th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their price objective on shares of Hercules Capital from $19.00 to $18.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hercules Capital in a report on Wednesday, June 17th.

Hercules Capital Stock Up 1.9%

NYSE:HTGC traded up $0.30 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $15.99. 1,169,459 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,223,528. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $15.66 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $16.12. Hercules Capital has a 1 year low of $13.70 and a 1 year high of $19.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.99 billion, a P/E ratio of 9.04 and a beta of 0.79.

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.48 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.47 by $0.01. Hercules Capital had a net margin of 59.85% and a return on equity of 16.05%. The firm had revenue of $134.94 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $141.39 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.45 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts predict that Hercules Capital will post 1.93 earnings per share for the current year.

Hercules Capital Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Investors of record on Thursday, May 14th were issued a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 14th. Hercules Capital’s dividend payout ratio is currently 90.40%.

Institutional Trading of Hercules Capital

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HTGC. Fox Run Management L.L.C. raised its holdings in Hercules Capital by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 24,354 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $458,000 after acquiring an additional 657 shares in the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Hercules Capital by 1.8% in the 3rd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 37,819 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $715,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of Hercules Capital by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 6,652 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares in the last quarter. Mariner LLC lifted its position in shares of Hercules Capital by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Mariner LLC now owns 56,453 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,062,000 after purchasing an additional 764 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in shares of Hercules Capital by 17.0% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 5,672 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $107,000 after purchasing an additional 824 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 19.69% of the company’s stock.

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.