Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) Insider Kiersten Zaza Botelho Buys 1,300 Shares

Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) insider Kiersten Zaza Botelho acquired 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $14.21 per share, with a total value of $18,473.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the insider owned 93,336 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,326,304.56. This trade represents a 1.41% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Hercules Capital Trading Down 7.9%

Shares of NYSE:HTGC traded down $1.22 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $14.22. The stock had a trading volume of 10,141,365 shares, compared to its average volume of 3,649,382. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.64 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $18.17. Hercules Capital, Inc. has a twelve month low of $14.10 and a twelve month high of $21.14. The firm has a market cap of $2.61 billion, a PE ratio of 7.77 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03.

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48. The company had revenue of $133.25 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $141.57 million. Hercules Capital had a net margin of 63.80% and a return on equity of 15.97%. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.49 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that Hercules Capital, Inc. will post 1.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hercules Capital Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be given a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 2.0%. Hercules Capital’s payout ratio is currently 87.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on HTGC shares. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Hercules Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. Lucid Cap Mkts raised Hercules Capital to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Capital One Financial set a $19.75 price target on Hercules Capital in a report on Monday, December 15th. Piper Sandler downgraded Hercules Capital from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $20.50 to $17.50 in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their target price on Hercules Capital from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $19.29.

Institutional Trading of Hercules Capital

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Marshall Wace LLP purchased a new position in Hercules Capital in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $11,199,000. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its holdings 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 during the last quarter. UBS Group AG increased its stake in shares of Hercules Capital by 26.8% in the fourth quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,671,860 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,464,000 after buying an additional 353,092 shares during the period. Muzinich & Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hercules Capital by 34.5% in the fourth quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. now owns 1,335,787 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,140,000 after buying an additional 342,967 shares during the period. Finally, HRT Financial LP boosted its position in 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 buying an additional 280,198 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 19.69% of the company’s stock.

Trending Headlines about Hercules Capital

Here are the key news stories impacting Hercules Capital this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple insiders (CEO Scott Bluestein, CFO Seth Meyer and several directors) bought stock this week — collectively over ~46,000 shares — signaling management confidence at current levels. See the CEO’s SEC filing for details. CEO SEC Filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts have modestly lowered fair-value estimates and price targets (examples: consolidated fair value trimmed from ~$21.22 to ~$20.31; several firms trimmed targets and ratings), a recalibration rather than a wholesale downgrade of the thesis. Analyst Note
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual bearish options flow — investors bought ~28,062 put contracts (a >1,200% jump vs typical daily put volume) — a strong short-term bearish signal that can amplify downward pressure.
• Negative Sentiment: Hercules cut its quarterly dividend to $0.07 (annualized $0.28), reducing income appeal for yield‑seeking investors and increasing concern about payout sustainability (payout ratio ~87%). See company data and dividend details. MarketBeat HTGC
• Negative Sentiment: Recent analyst downgrades and price‑target cuts (Wells Fargo, Keefe Bruyette & Woods, Piper Sandler and others) have pressured sentiment and likely contributed to selling. Analyst Coverage

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.