Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) Price Target Raised to $17.00

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) had its price target increased by Piper Sandler from $16.50 to $17.00 in a report published on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. Piper Sandler currently has a neutral rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on HTGC. Citizens Jmp decreased their price objective on Hercules Capital from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods dropped their price objective on shares of Hercules Capital from $19.00 to $18.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 16th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on shares of Hercules Capital from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 13th. UBS Group lowered their price target on shares of Hercules Capital from $19.50 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of Hercules Capital from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and three have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Hercules Capital currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $18.13.

Hercules Capital Price Performance

Hercules Capital stock opened at $16.18 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $14.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $16.90. Hercules Capital has a 12 month low of $13.70 and a 12 month high of $19.67. The company has a market cap of $3.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 9.14 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a current ratio of 1.89, a quick ratio of 1.48 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, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.47 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $134.94 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $141.39 million. Hercules Capital had a return on equity of 16.05% and a net margin of 59.85%.The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 18.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.45 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts forecast that Hercules Capital will post 1.93 EPS for the current year.

Hercules Capital Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, May 21st. Stockholders of record on Thursday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Hercules Capital’s dividend payout ratio is currently 90.40%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hercules Capital news, Director Thomas J. Fallon acquired 20,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The stock was bought at an average price of $14.20 per share, with a total value of $284,000.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 150,369 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,135,239.80. This represents a 15.34% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Scott Bluestein bought 7,000 shares of Hercules Capital stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $14.35 per share, with a total value of $100,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 2,516,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $36,110,038.65. This represents a 0.28% increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have bought a total of 117,015 shares of company stock valued at $1,749,620 in the last ninety days. 1.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hercules Capital

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of HTGC. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC purchased a new position in Hercules Capital in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Caitlin John LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Hercules Capital during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Cornerstone Planning Group LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hercules Capital during the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Fifth Third Bancorp bought a new stake in shares of Hercules Capital during the 1st quarter worth $35,000. Finally, Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in Hercules Capital by 113.1% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,884 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $35,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares in the last quarter. 19.69% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Hercules Capital News

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

• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms on May 7-8 reminded investors about a May 19 lead-plaintiff deadline in an already-filed securities class action against Hercules Capital, increasing the market’s focus on alleged investor harm and possible litigation costs. Article Title
• Negative Sentiment: Additional notices from firms including Faruqi & Faruqi, The Gross Law Firm, Rosen Law Firm, Pomerantz, Bronstein Gewirtz & Grossman, and others kept the class-action story in front of investors, reinforcing uncertainty around the company’s disclosures during the May 1, 2025 to Feb. 27, 2026 class period. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: A Seeking Alpha piece argued Hercules Capital still has solid portfolio quality and dividend coverage, suggesting the selloff may be more about valuation and legal headlines than a collapse in fundamentals. Article Title
• Neutral Sentiment: The company also announced the date of its 2026 annual stockholders meeting, which is routine corporate news and unlikely to move the stock on its own. Article Title

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.