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

Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC - Get Free Report) has received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the six research firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and four have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $19.92.

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Piper Sandler cut their price objective 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on shares of Hercules Capital from $21.50 to $20.50 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and set a $22.00 price target on shares of Hercules Capital in a research report on Friday, February 14th. UBS Group lowered their price objective on Hercules Capital from $20.00 to $18.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 17th. Finally, Compass Point boosted their target price on Hercules Capital from $18.25 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th.

Hercules Capital Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of HTGC traded down $0.08 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $18.06. 1,164,843 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,106,295. The company has a market capitalization of $3.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 11.22 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Hercules Capital has a 52 week low of $15.65 and a 52 week high of $22.04. The company's 50 day moving average is $17.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $19.09.

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). Hercules Capital had a return on equity of 17.19% and a net margin of 53.28%. The business had revenue of $102.10 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $125.43 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned $0.50 EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was down 1.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Hercules Capital will post 1.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Hercules Capital Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, May 20th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, May 13th were issued a $0.40 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 13th. This represents a $1.60 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 8.86%. Hercules Capital's dividend payout ratio is currently 120.30%.

Insider Transactions at Hercules Capital

In other news, Director Nikos Theodosopoulos bought 5,999 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 8th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $17.49 per share, with a total value of $104,922.51. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 11,960 shares in the company, valued at approximately $209,180.40. The trade was a 100.64% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.90% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Hercules Capital

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HTGC. Ameriflex Group Inc. purchased a new position in shares of Hercules Capital in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. N.E.W. Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Hercules Capital in the 1st quarter worth approximately $30,000. Estabrook Capital Management raised its position in Hercules Capital by 239.0% during the 4th quarter. Estabrook Capital Management now owns 1,878 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $38,000 after buying an additional 1,324 shares during the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. purchased a new position in Hercules Capital during the 1st quarter worth approximately $38,000. Finally, Archer Investment Corp lifted its stake in Hercules Capital by 345.4% during the 4th quarter. Archer Investment Corp now owns 2,325 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $47,000 after acquiring an additional 1,803 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 19.69% of the company's stock.

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.