Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) Receives $18.71 Average Target Price from Analysts

Shares of Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight research firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation, four have assigned a buy recommendation and one has issued a strong buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $18.7083.

Several analysts have recently commented on the stock. Capital One Financial set a $19.75 target price on shares of Hercules Capital in a research note on Monday, December 15th. UBS Group dropped 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 note on Friday, March 13th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price target on shares of Hercules Capital from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 13th. Piper Sandler downgraded shares of Hercules Capital from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $20.50 to $17.50 in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Wall Street Zen lowered Hercules Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 20th.

Hercules Capital Trading Down 0.0%

NYSE:HTGC opened at $14.89 on Thursday. Hercules Capital has a 12-month low of $13.70 and a 12-month high of $19.67. The company has a current ratio of 1.48, a quick ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $15.52 and its 200-day simple moving average is $17.32. The firm has a market cap of $2.74 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.14 and a beta of 0.83.

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) last issued its quarterly 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. 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 last year, the company earned $0.49 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that Hercules Capital will post 1.96 EPS for the current year.

Hercules Capital Cuts Dividend

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

Key Hercules Capital News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Analyst sentiment: an AmericanBankingNews summary shows HTGC has an average analyst rating of “Moderate Buy,” which could provide some analyst support for the stock amid the headlines. Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts
• Negative Sentiment: Hagens Berman filed a securities class action alleging that a Hunterbrook Media short‑seller report is correct — claiming Hercules copied Google Ventures’ deal sourcing and misstated valuations and PIK (payment‑in‑kind) loan disclosures; the suit targets buyers of HTGC between May 1, 2025 and Feb 27, 2026. Hercules Capital (HTGC) Under Fire: Class Action Filed After Allegations of Copying Google Ventures, Misstated Marks, and PIK Loans — Hagens Berman
• Negative Sentiment: Additional Hagens Berman / GlobeNewswire notice reiterates the class action and the linkage to the short‑seller report, reinforcing litigation risk and potential reputational damage. Hercules Capital (HTGC) Faces Securities Class Action After Short Seller Claims Company Copied Google Ventures, Questions Marks and PIKs – Hagens Berman
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple plaintiff firms (Schall, Faruqi & Faruqi, Rosen, Levin & Korsinsky, Pomerantz) issued investor alerts seeking lead plaintiffs and reminding investors of the May 19, 2026 deadline — these solicitations increase the likelihood of consolidated litigation and potential settlement exposure. HTGC Investors Have Opportunity to Lead Hercules Capital, Inc. Securities Fraud Lawsuit with the Schall Law Firm
• Negative Sentiment: Faruqi & Faruqi reminder about the May 19 deadline and active investigation into potential claims — another procedural step that tends to keep shares under pressure while case leadership is decided. HTGC INVESTOR DEADLINE APPROACHING: Faruqi & Faruqi, LLP Reminds Hercules Capital (HTGC) Investors of Securities Class Action Deadline on May 19, 2026
• Negative Sentiment: Rosen Law Firm and Pomerantz issued similar alerts encouraging investors to secure counsel and consider leadership roles in the litigation, keeping media attention on alleged misstatements and potential management liability. HTGC Investors Have Opportunity to Lead Hercules Capital, Inc. Securities Fraud Lawsuit
• Negative Sentiment: Levi & Korsinsky highlighted potential Section 20(a) claims against officers, noting allegations the CEO certified misleading statements — this raises the chance of individual officer exposure beyond the corporate defendant. HTGC Investor Alert: Hercules Capital Securities Fraud Lawsuit – Levi & Korsinsky
• Negative Sentiment: Pomerantz reiterated the filing and provided contact details for affected investors, contributing to the volume of coordination among plaintiff firms. INVESTOR ALERT: Pomerantz Law Firm Reminds Investors with Losses on their Investment in Hercules Capital, Inc. of Class Action Lawsuit and Upcoming Deadlines – HTGC

Insider Activity

In other Hercules Capital news, CFO Seth H. Meyer acquired 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, February 27th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $14.33 per share, with a total value of $100,310.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief financial officer directly owned 448,553 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,427,764.49. The trade was a 1.59% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Nikos Theodosopoulos bought 6,165 shares of Hercules Capital stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $15.93 per share, with a total value of $98,208.45. Following the acquisition, the director owned 18,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $301,443.39. This trade represents a 48.32% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders have acquired a total of 117,015 shares of company stock valued at $1,749,620 over the last three months. 1.80% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Hercules Capital

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in HTGC. Fox Run Management L.L.C. boosted its holdings in Hercules Capital by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 24,354 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $458,000 after buying an additional 657 shares in the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its holdings 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 buying an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP lifted its position in shares of Hercules Capital by 11.4% during the 3rd quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 6,652 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $126,000 after acquiring an additional 680 shares during the period. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Hercules Capital by 2.9% during the 3rd quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC now owns 25,902 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $490,000 after acquiring an additional 732 shares during the period. Finally, Dakota Wealth Management boosted its stake in shares of Hercules Capital by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 38,720 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $732,000 after acquiring an additional 735 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.