Paramjeet Randhawa Buys 3,050 Shares of Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) Stock

Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) Director Paramjeet Randhawa acquired 3,050 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, March 4th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $14.78 per share, for a total transaction of $45,079.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 19,560 shares in the company, valued at $289,096.80. The trade was a 18.47% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink.

Hercules Capital Price Performance

Shares of Hercules Capital stock opened at $14.87 on Friday. 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 12 month low of $13.77 and a 12 month high of $19.67. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.13 and a beta of 0.87. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $17.27 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $18.02.

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

Hercules Capital Cuts Dividend

The firm 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 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 25th. Hercules Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 87.43%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently issued reports on HTGC shares. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective 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. Wall Street Zen cut Hercules Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th. Capital One Financial set a $19.75 price target on Hercules Capital in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods cut their price target on Hercules Capital from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Weiss Ratings downgraded Hercules Capital from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have given a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $19.29.

Institutional Trading of Hercules Capital

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. CWM LLC grew its position in Hercules Capital by 79.6% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 612 shares during the period. Fox Run Management L.L.C. raised its position in Hercules Capital by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 24,354 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $458,000 after purchasing an additional 657 shares during the period. Centaurus Financial Inc. raised its position in Hercules Capital by 1.8% in the third quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 37,819 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $715,000 after purchasing an additional 675 shares during the period. Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake in shares of Hercules Capital by 11.4% in the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 6,652 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $126,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Hercules Capital by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 143,346 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,620,000 after purchasing an additional 697 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 19.69% of the company’s stock.

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.