Muzinich & Co. Inc. Purchases 342,967 Shares of Hercules Capital, Inc. $HTGC

Muzinich & Co. Inc. increased its stake in shares of Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) by 34.5% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 1,335,787 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 342,967 shares during the quarter. Hercules Capital accounts for about 7.9% of Muzinich & Co. Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 6th largest holding. Muzinich & Co. Inc.’s holdings in Hercules Capital were worth $25,140,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Van ECK Associates Corp grew its position in Hercules Capital by 0.8% during the third quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,647,184 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $68,969,000 after buying an additional 28,757 shares in the last quarter. UBS Group AG grew its position in Hercules Capital by 14.4% during the third quarter. UBS Group AG now owns 1,318,768 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $24,938,000 after buying an additional 165,762 shares in the last quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd grew its position in Hercules Capital by 77.0% during the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 1,027,274 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $19,426,000 after buying an additional 446,860 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in Hercules Capital by 10.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 928,629 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $17,560,000 after buying an additional 85,515 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. grew its position in Hercules Capital by 42.3% during the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 884,946 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,734,000 after buying an additional 263,222 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 19.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO Seth H. Meyer purchased 7,000 shares of Hercules Capital stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $14.33 per share, for a total transaction of $100,310.00. Following the purchase, the chief financial officer owned 448,553 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,427,764.49. This trade represents a 1.59% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Paramjeet K. Randhawa purchased 3,050 shares of Hercules Capital stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was bought at an average price of $14.78 per share, for a total transaction of $45,079.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 19,560 shares in the company, valued at $289,096.80. This represents a 18.47% increase in their position. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders acquired a total of 117,015 shares of company stock worth $1,749,620 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HTGC has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Wall Street Zen downgraded Hercules Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 20th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on Hercules Capital from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group reduced their price target on Hercules Capital from $19.50 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on Hercules Capital from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Capital One Financial set a $19.75 price target on Hercules Capital in a research report on Monday, December 15th. One investment 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. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $18.54.

Hercules Capital Stock Down 0.4%

NYSE HTGC opened at $15.12 on Wednesday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $15.38 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $17.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.48. Hercules Capital, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $13.70 and a fifty-two week high of $19.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.78 billion, a PE ratio of 8.26 and a beta of 0.83.

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.48. Hercules Capital had a return on equity of 15.97% and a net margin of 63.80%.The firm had revenue of $133.25 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $141.57 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.49 earnings per share. Equities analysts expect that Hercules Capital, Inc. will post 1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hercules Capital Cuts Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th were paid a $0.07 dividend. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 25th. Hercules Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 87.43%.

Hercules Capital News Roundup

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

• Positive Sentiment: Hercules reported record Q1 new commitments of $1.81 billion, driven by strong demand from venture‑backed companies and growth in tech and life‑sciences lending — a sign of origination momentum that could support future interest income and asset growth. Hercules Capital’s Q1 New Commitments Reach Record $1.81 Billion
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent session recaps noted HTGC outpacing the market on April 6, but that move appears short‑lived vs. the new litigation headlines and analyst action. Hercules Capital (HTGC) Outpaces Stock Market Gains
• Negative Sentiment: Hagens Berman and other firms announced a securities class action alleging that Hercules copied Google Ventures sourcing, misstated valuations/marks, and used PIK loans; the suit covers purchases from May 1, 2025 to Feb 27, 2026. The underlying allegations (and related media reports) are the proximate cause of the litigation and could lead to reputational damage, legal costs, and potential settlements. Hercules Capital Under Fire: Class Action Filed
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple plaintiff firms (Rosen, Pomerantz, Glancy, Faruqi, Schall, Gross, DJS, Bronstein, etc.) have issued investor alerts and reminders about the May 19, 2026 lead‑plaintiff deadline — signalling sustained litigation attention and a higher probability of coordinated claims against HTGC. This increases near‑term headline risk and potential legal expense exposure. HTGC Investors Have Opportunity to Lead Securities Fraud Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler reduced its price target from $17.50 to $16.50 and assigned a “neutral” rating, which trims analyst upside and may weigh on investor sentiment in the near term. Piper Sandler Lowers Price Target

Hercules Capital Company Profile

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.