Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) Insider Kiersten Zaza Botelho Buys 1,300 Shares

Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) insider Kiersten Zaza Botelho acquired 1,300 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $14.21 per share, with a total value of $18,473.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider directly owned 93,336 shares in the company, valued at $1,326,304.56. This trade represents a 1.41% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

Hercules Capital Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:HTGC traded down $1.22 during trading on Friday, reaching $14.22. The company had a trading volume of 10,141,365 shares, compared to its average volume of 2,633,990. Hercules Capital, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $14.10 and a fifty-two week high of $21.14. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03, a current ratio of 1.48 and a quick ratio of 1.48. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $17.73 and its 200 day moving average price is $18.21. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 7.77 and a beta of 0.84.

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48. The firm had revenue of $133.25 million for 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 last year, the firm posted $0.49 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Hercules Capital, Inc. will post 1.96 EPS for the current year.

Hercules Capital Cuts Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 25th will be paid a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.0%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 25th. Hercules Capital’s payout ratio is 87.43%.

Institutional Trading of Hercules Capital

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of HTGC. CWM LLC increased 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 buying an additional 612 shares in the last quarter. Assetmark Inc. boosted its position in shares of 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 buying an additional 879 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC acquired a new stake in Hercules Capital in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. purchased a new position in Hercules Capital during the 2nd quarter valued at about $27,000. Finally, Caitlin John LLC acquired a new position in Hercules Capital during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 19.69% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages have weighed in on HTGC. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price objective on Hercules Capital from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock 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. Capital One Financial set a $19.75 price objective on Hercules Capital in a report on Monday, December 15th. Lucid Cap Mkts upgraded Hercules Capital to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on shares of Hercules Capital from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $19.29.

Key Headlines Impacting Hercules Capital

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

• Positive Sentiment: Multiple insiders (CEO Scott Bluestein, CFO Seth Meyer and several directors) bought stock this week — collectively over ~46,000 shares — signaling management confidence at current levels. See the CEO’s SEC filing for details. CEO SEC Filing
• Neutral Sentiment: Analysts have modestly lowered fair-value estimates and price targets (examples: consolidated fair value trimmed from ~$21.22 to ~$20.31; several firms trimmed targets and ratings), a recalibration rather than a wholesale downgrade of the thesis. Analyst Note
• Negative Sentiment: Unusual bearish options flow — investors bought ~28,062 put contracts (a >1,200% jump vs typical daily put volume) — a strong short-term bearish signal that can amplify downward pressure.
• Negative Sentiment: Hercules cut its quarterly dividend to $0.07 (annualized $0.28), reducing income appeal for yield‑seeking investors and increasing concern about payout sustainability (payout ratio ~87%). See company data and dividend details. MarketBeat HTGC
• Negative Sentiment: Recent analyst downgrades and price‑target cuts (Wells Fargo, Keefe Bruyette & Woods, Piper Sandler and others) have pressured sentiment and likely contributed to selling. Analyst Coverage

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.