Brokerages Set Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) PT at $18.21

Shares of Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) have been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eight research firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $18.2083.

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

Hercules Capital Trading Up 0.8%

Hercules Capital stock opened at $16.05 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $15.65 and a 200 day moving average price of $16.06. Hercules Capital has a 52 week low of $13.70 and a 52 week high of $19.67. The stock has a market cap of $3.00 billion, a PE ratio of 9.07 and a beta of 0.79. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14.

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

Hercules Capital Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were issued a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.7%. Hercules Capital’s payout ratio is 90.40%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hercules Capital

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of Hercules Capital by 25.1% in the 1st quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 3,382,058 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $49,243,000 after buying an additional 678,783 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in Hercules Capital by 1.6% during the fourth quarter. LPL Financial LLC now owns 1,823,405 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $34,316,000 after acquiring an additional 29,292 shares during the last quarter. UBS Group AG raised its holdings in shares of Hercules Capital by 26.8% in the 4th quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,671,860 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $31,464,000 after purchasing an additional 353,092 shares during the period. Legal & General Group Plc raised its holdings in shares of Hercules Capital by 17.9% in the 4th quarter. Legal & General Group Plc now owns 1,382,084 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $26,004,000 after purchasing an additional 209,854 shares during the period. Finally, Muzinich & Co. Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Hercules Capital by 34.5% during the 4th quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. now owns 1,335,787 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,140,000 after purchasing an additional 342,967 shares during the period. 19.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.