Sage Advisors LLC Buys Shares of 58,030 Hercules Capital, Inc. $HTGC

Sage Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 58,030 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $1,097,000. Hercules Capital accounts for 0.8% of Sage Advisors LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 20th largest position.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. CWM LLC grew its stake in Hercules Capital by 79.6% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 612 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its holdings in Hercules Capital by 173.4% in the 2nd quarter. Assetmark Inc. now owns 1,386 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 879 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Hercules Capital in the 2nd quarter valued at $27,000. Alpine Bank Wealth Management purchased a new position in shares of Hercules Capital during the 2nd quarter valued at $33,000. Finally, CNB Bank bought a new position in shares of Hercules Capital in the second quarter worth $34,000. 19.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Hercules Capital Trading Up 0.2%

Shares of HTGC stock opened at $18.86 on Monday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $18.22 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $18.58. Hercules Capital, Inc. has a 12-month low of $15.65 and a 12-month high of $22.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.65, a current ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market cap of $3.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.96 and a beta of 0.84.

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

Hercules Capital Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 19th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 12th were paid a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 8.5%. Hercules Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 93.02%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

HTGC has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Lucid Cap Mkts raised Hercules Capital to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Wall Street Zen cut Hercules Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Hercules Capital in a research report on Friday, October 31st. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Hercules Capital from $21.00 to $20.50 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Thursday, October 9th. Finally, UBS Group lowered their target price on shares of Hercules Capital from $19.00 to $18.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, October 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, six have given a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $20.32.

Insider Activity at Hercules Capital

In other Hercules Capital news, Director Gayle A. Crowell acquired 6,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, November 3rd. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $17.77 per share, for a total transaction of $106,620.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 78,727 shares in the company, valued at $1,398,978.79. The trade was a 8.25% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.80% 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.