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

Key Points

• Hercules Capital, Inc. has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from six brokerages, with a 12-month price target of $20.08.
• The company recently reported earnings of $0.45 per share, missing estimates by $0.01, and has declared a quarterly dividend of $0.40 per share, resulting in a yield of 8.23%.
• Insider activity includes Director Nikos Theodosopoulos purchasing 5,999 shares at an average price of $17.49, increasing his ownership significantly.

Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC - Get Free Report) has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the six research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12-month price objective among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $20.08.

A number of analysts have commented on the stock. Piper Sandler cut their price target on shares of Hercules Capital from $23.00 to $20.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective on Hercules Capital from $21.00 to $19.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 28th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Hercules Capital from $21.50 to $20.50 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Hercules Capital from $18.50 to $19.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, July 16th.

Hercules Capital Trading Up 0.1%

NYSE HTGC traded up $0.03 during trading on Friday, hitting $19.14. The stock had a trading volume of 531,163 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,201,508. The company has a market capitalization of $3.36 billion, a PE ratio of 14.37 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a quick ratio of 2.38, a current ratio of 2.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.99. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $18.28 and a 200 day moving average price of $18.86. Hercules Capital has a twelve month low of $15.65 and a twelve month high of $22.04.

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The financial services provider reported $0.45 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.46 by ($0.01). The firm had revenue of $102.10 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $125.43 million. Hercules Capital had a return on equity of 16.84% and a net margin of 45.23%. The company's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $0.50 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Hercules Capital will post 1.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Hercules Capital Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, August 19th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 12th will be issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 9.82%. This is a boost from Hercules Capital's previous quarterly dividend of $0.40. Hercules Capital's dividend payout ratio is 120.30%.

Insider Buying and Selling at Hercules Capital

In other news, Director Nikos Theodosopoulos acquired 5,999 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $17.49 per share, for a total transaction of $104,922.51. Following the acquisition, the director owned 11,960 shares of the company's stock, valued at $209,180.40. This represents a 100.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.90% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hercules Capital

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Ameriflex Group Inc. bought a new stake in Hercules Capital during the fourth quarter valued at $29,000. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Hercules Capital by 79.6% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 612 shares in the last quarter. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Hercules Capital in the 1st quarter valued at about $30,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new position in Hercules Capital in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Estabrook Capital Management increased its stake in shares of Hercules Capital by 239.0% during the fourth quarter. Estabrook Capital Management now owns 1,878 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $38,000 after acquiring an additional 1,324 shares during the period. 19.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hercules Capital Company Profile

Hercules Capital, Inc is a business development company. The firm specializing in providing venture debt, debt, senior secured loans, and growth capital to privately held venture capital-backed companies at all stages of development from startups to expansion stage including select publicly listed companies and select special opportunity lower middle market companies that require additional capital to fund acquisitions, recapitalizations and refinancing and established-stage companies.