38,650 Shares in Hercules Capital, Inc. $HTGC Acquired by MQS Management LLC

MQS Management LLC bought a new position in Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 38,650 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $727,000.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC boosted its position in shares of Hercules Capital by 173.3% in the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 89,575 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,605,000 after acquiring an additional 56,797 shares during the last quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of Hercules Capital by 10.2% in the fourth quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 759,746 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $14,298,000 after acquiring an additional 70,235 shares during the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Hercules Capital by 308.9% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 79,555 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,493,000 after acquiring an additional 60,100 shares during the last quarter. Triad Investment Management acquired a new stake in shares of Hercules Capital in the fourth quarter worth approximately $1,958,000. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its position in Hercules Capital by 15.1% during the fourth quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 1,018,759 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $19,173,000 after buying an additional 133,813 shares in the last quarter. 19.69% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Hercules Capital Trading Down 0.8%

Shares of HTGC stock opened at $15.35 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $2.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 8.67 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a quick ratio of 1.89, a current ratio of 1.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.14. Hercules Capital, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $13.70 and a fifty-two week high of $19.67. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $15.19 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $16.74.

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The financial services provider reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 59.85% and a return on equity of 16.05%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 18.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $0.45 earnings per share. On average, analysts anticipate that Hercules Capital, Inc. will post 1.93 EPS for the current year.

Hercules Capital Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, May 21st. Shareholders of record on Thursday, May 14th were issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, May 14th. This represents a $0.28 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.8%. Hercules Capital’s payout ratio is currently 90.40%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Hercules Capital from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target 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. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods reduced their price target on shares of Hercules Capital from $19.00 to $18.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 16th. UBS Group lifted their price target on shares of Hercules Capital from $15.00 to $15.50 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, Citizens Jmp reduced their price target on shares of Hercules Capital from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a “market outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have issued a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $18.21.

Insider Activity at Hercules Capital

In other Hercules Capital news, CEO Scott Bluestein acquired 7,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $14.35 per share, for a total transaction of $100,450.00. Following the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,516,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $36,110,038.65. This trade represents a 0.28% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Robert P. Badavas acquired 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, February 27th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $14.27 per share, for a total transaction of $71,350.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 122,073 shares in the company, valued at $1,741,981.71. The trade was a 4.27% increase in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Insiders bought 90,850 shares of company stock worth $1,333,812 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Hercules Capital 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.