Advisors Capital Management LLC Raises Position in Hercules Capital, Inc. $HTGC

Advisors Capital Management LLC raised its position in Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) by 4.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 828,258 shares of the financial services provider’s stock after buying an additional 34,007 shares during the quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC owned about 0.46% of Hercules Capital worth $15,588,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Hercules Capital by 173.3% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 89,575 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,605,000 after purchasing an additional 56,797 shares in the last quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Hercules Capital by 308.9% during the 3rd quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 79,555 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $1,493,000 after buying an additional 60,100 shares in the last quarter. Tred Avon Family Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of Hercules Capital during the third quarter valued at about $1,042,000. Muzinich & Co. Inc. increased its position in shares of Hercules Capital by 34.5% during the third quarter. Muzinich & Co. Inc. now owns 992,820 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $18,774,000 after buying an additional 254,651 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Hercules Capital by 42.3% in the third quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. now owns 884,946 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $16,734,000 after buying an additional 263,222 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 19.69% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Hercules Capital

In other Hercules Capital news, Director Gayle A. Crowell purchased 6,600 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 23rd. The stock was bought at an average price of $15.20 per share, with a total value of $100,320.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director directly owned 87,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,329,361.60. The trade was a 8.16% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Nikos Theodosopoulos acquired 6,165 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 17th. The shares were bought at an average price of $15.93 per share, with a total value of $98,208.45. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 18,923 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $301,443.39. The trade was a 48.32% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have purchased 117,015 shares of company stock valued at $1,749,620 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Key Hercules Capital News

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

• Positive Sentiment: Significant insider buying reported (including the CEO and several directors), which can signal management confidence and provide support under the stock. Quiver Quantitative: CEO Pay & Insider Activity
• Positive Sentiment: Some sell‑side coverage remains constructive (recent buy ratings/price targets above the current level), which could limit downside if litigation noise stabilizes. Quiver Quantitative: Analyst Targets Summary
• Neutral Sentiment: Disclosure of CEO compensation for 2025 (estimated increase) — may draw investor scrutiny but is not an immediate operational development. Quiver Quantitative: CEO Pay Revealed
• Neutral Sentiment: Recent market commentary noted HTGC’s price movement and above‑average volatility relative to broader indices — useful context for trading but not a company event. Zacks: HTGC Price Movement
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple securities class‑action complaints have been filed alleging that Hercules copied Google Ventures’ deal sourcing and misstated marks/PIK loans — these allegations create litigation risk, potential damages, and reputational harm that typically pressure BDC stocks. Hagens Berman: Class Action Notice & Allegations
• Negative Sentiment: Several plaintiff firms (Rosen, Hagens Berman, Schall, Faruqi & Faruqi, Gross, others) are soliciting lead‑plaintiff clients and reminding investors of a May 19 deadline — sustained media/legal attention raises the chance of costly settlements, increased legal expenses, and distracted management. Rosen Law Firm: Lead Plaintiff Deadline Notice

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on HTGC. Citizens Jmp cut their price target on shares of Hercules Capital from $24.00 to $22.00 and set a “market outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. UBS Group decreased their price target on shares of Hercules Capital from $19.50 to $15.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 13th. Piper Sandler lowered their price objective on Hercules Capital from $17.50 to $16.50 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 7th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Hercules Capital from $18.00 to $17.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods decreased their target price on Hercules Capital from $19.00 to $18.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 16th. 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. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $18.04.

Hercules Capital Price Performance

Shares of Hercules Capital stock opened at $15.50 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $2.85 billion, a PE ratio of 8.47 and a beta of 0.83. Hercules Capital, Inc. has a 12-month low of $13.70 and a 12-month high of $19.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.48, a current ratio of 1.48 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.03. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $14.92 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $16.95.

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.48. Hercules Capital had a net margin of 63.80% and a return on equity of 15.97%. The company had revenue of $133.25 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $141.57 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $0.49 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that Hercules Capital, Inc. will post 1.95 EPS for the current year.

Hercules Capital Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 25th were issued a dividend of $0.07 per share. This represents a $0.28 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.8%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 25th. Hercules Capital’s dividend payout ratio is currently 87.43%.

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.