Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) Stock Has Average Target Price of $18.89

Shares of Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) have earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, five have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $18.89.

Several research firms have commented on HTGC. LADENBURG THALM/SH SH dropped their target price on shares of Hercules Capital from $21.00 to $20.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, July 31st. UBS Group raised Hercules Capital from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their price target for the company from $15.50 to $18.50 in a research report on Tuesday, September 1st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Hercules Capital in a research report on Monday, September 14th.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in HTGC. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Hercules Capital by 15.6% during the 2nd quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 12,336 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $195,000 after acquiring an additional 1,669 shares during the period. Triad Investment Management lifted its stake in Hercules Capital by 19.6% in the second quarter. Triad Investment Management now owns 125,009 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,971,000 after purchasing an additional 20,446 shares during the last quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC grew its holdings in Hercules Capital by 195.9% during the second quarter. Squarepoint Ops LLC now owns 42,476 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $670,000 after purchasing an additional 28,121 shares during the period. Advisory Solutions Group LLC bought a new position in Hercules Capital during the second quarter valued at $237,000. Finally, Secure Asset Management LLC increased its position in Hercules Capital by 18.8% in the second quarter. Secure Asset Management LLC now owns 77,837 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,227,000 after buying an additional 12,298 shares during the last quarter. 19.69% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hercules Capital Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HTGC opened at $16.98 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 1.37 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock has a market cap of $3.18 billion, a PE ratio of 8.45 and a beta of 0.81. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $17.04 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $15.98. Hercules Capital has a 1-year low of $13.70 and a 1-year high of $19.13.

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, July 30th. The financial services provider reported $0.50 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.48 by $0.02. Hercules Capital had a net margin of 67.68% and a return on equity of 16.01%. The firm had revenue of $134.41 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $146.71 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $0.50 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts forecast that Hercules Capital will post 1.95 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hercules Capital Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 18th. Investors of record on Tuesday, August 11th were given a dividend of $0.40 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, August 11th. This is an increase from Hercules Capital’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.07. This represents a $1.60 annualized dividend and a yield of 9.4%. Hercules Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 79.60%.

Hercules Capital Company Profile

Hercules Capital, Inc (NYSE: HTGC) is a specialty finance company and business development company that provides financing to innovative, growth-oriented companies. Its primary focus is venture lending for businesses in the technology, life sciences, and sustainable and renewable technology sectors, including companies supported by venture capital and private equity investors.

The company offers secured term loans, equipment financing, working capital and bridge loans, and other customized debt solutions.