Scott Bluestein Buys 30,000 Shares of Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) Stock

Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) CEO Scott Bluestein purchased 30,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 24th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $15.08 per share, for a total transaction of $452,400.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,509,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,841,435.32. This represents a 1.21% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Hercules Capital Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Hercules Capital stock opened at $15.09 on Thursday. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. Hercules Capital, Inc. has a 1 year low of $14.57 and a 1 year high of $21.14. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $17.79 and a 200 day moving average price of $18.23. The company has a market cap of $2.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.24 and a beta of 0.84.

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

Hercules Capital Cuts Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be given a $0.07 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 25th. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. Hercules Capital’s dividend payout ratio is presently 87.43%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Assetmark Inc. lifted 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 worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 879 shares during the last quarter. CWM LLC raised its position in shares of Hercules Capital by 79.6% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 612 shares during the period. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. bought a new position in shares of Hercules Capital in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hercules Capital in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hercules Capital during the 3rd quarter worth $29,000. 19.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

More Hercules Capital News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Large insider purchases — CEO Scott Bluestein bought 30,000 shares (~$15.08 each) and two directors (Robert P. Badavas and Gayle A. Crowell) also added shares, signaling management confidence in the stock. CEO SEC Filing Director Badavas SEC Filing Director Crowell SEC Filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts modestly trimmed fair?value models — a consolidated fair value estimate moved from $21.22 to $20.31, described as a measured recalibration rather than a dramatic reset. How The Hercules Capital Story Is Shifting
• Negative Sentiment: Short interest jumped sharply — shorted shares rose ~52% month?over?month to ~8.11M shares (~4.5% of shares outstanding), increasing bearish pressure and the potential for accelerated selling.
• Negative Sentiment: Piper Sandler downgraded HTGC to Neutral and cut its price target to $17.50 (from $20.50) after the Q4 report, citing portfolio concentration (notably software exposure) and raising execution risk concerns. Piper Sandler Downgrade
• Negative Sentiment: Dividend reduced to $0.07 quarterly (ex?dividend Feb 25), lowering yield and removing some income support; combined with a revenue miss in Q4, this likely contributed to investor caution.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently issued reports on the company. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price objective on Hercules Capital from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Weiss Ratings downgraded Hercules Capital from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Wall Street Zen cut Hercules Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, December 20th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Hercules Capital from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Capital One Financial set a $19.75 target price on shares of Hercules Capital in a research note on Monday, December 15th. One equities research 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 stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Hercules Capital presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $19.29.

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.