Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) Price Target Cut to $16.50 by Analysts at Piper Sandler

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) had its price objective lowered by Piper Sandler from $17.50 to $16.50 in a research report released on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. Piper Sandler currently has a neutral rating on the financial services provider’s stock.

HTGC has been the subject of a number of other research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price objective 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. Capital One Financial set a $19.75 target price on shares of Hercules Capital in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Hercules Capital from a “buy (b-)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on shares of Hercules Capital from $20.00 to $19.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 13th. Finally, Lucid Cap Mkts raised shares of Hercules Capital to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, four have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, Hercules Capital has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $18.54.

Hercules Capital Price Performance

HTGC stock opened at $15.12 on Tuesday. Hercules Capital has a 52 week low of $13.70 and a 52 week high of $19.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 8.26 and a beta of 0.83. 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 has a fifty day simple moving average of $15.38 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $17.25.

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $0.48 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.48. Hercules Capital had a net margin of 63.80% and a return on equity of 15.97%. The business had revenue of $133.25 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $141.57 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.49 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Hercules Capital will post 1.96 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Hercules Capital Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Investors 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 was Wednesday, February 25th. Hercules Capital’s payout ratio is currently 87.43%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Hercules Capital news, CEO Scott Bluestein bought 7,000 shares of Hercules Capital stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $14.35 per share, for a total transaction of $100,450.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 2,516,379 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $36,110,038.65. This represents a 0.28% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CFO Seth H. Meyer bought 7,000 shares of Hercules Capital stock in a transaction dated Friday, February 27th. The stock was acquired at an average price of $14.33 per share, with a total value of $100,310.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have bought 117,015 shares of company stock worth $1,749,620 in the last 90 days. 1.80% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Fox Run Management L.L.C. boosted its holdings in shares of Hercules Capital by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. now owns 24,354 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $458,000 after purchasing an additional 657 shares during the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. boosted its position in shares of Hercules Capital by 1.8% during the 3rd quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 37,819 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $715,000 after acquiring an additional 675 shares during the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP boosted 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 last quarter. Foundations Investment Advisors LLC boosted 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 last quarter. Finally, Dakota Wealth Management boosted its position 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 valued at $732,000 after acquiring an additional 735 shares during the last quarter. 19.69% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Headlines Impacting Hercules Capital

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

• Positive Sentiment: Hercules reported a record $1.81 billion of new debt and equity commitments in Q1 — a sign of strong deal flow and demand from venture-backed tech and life-sciences firms that should support future interest income and portfolio growth. Read release Hercules Capital Sets New Record with All-Time High New Debt and Equity Commitments
• Neutral Sentiment: Piper Sandler lowered its price target from $17.50 to $16.50 and kept a “neutral” rating — a modest formal downgrade that likely adds short-term selling pressure but still implies some upside vs. the current price. Read note Piper Sandler price-target change via Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst/commentary pieces highlight HTGC’s attractive dividend yield (high teens to low-20s historically expressed as yield) and recent insider buying, calling the shares “cheap with caveats” — useful context for income investors but not an immediate catalyst. Read analysis Hercules Capital: Cheap With Massive Caveats
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple securities-class-action lawsuits have been filed after a critical short/replication report (Hunterbrook Media) alleged deal-sourcing issues, misstated marks and problematic PIK loans. Those allegations raise the prospect of legal costs, potential restatements or mark adjustments, and reputational damage — a primary driver of downward pressure on the share price. Read filing/summary Hercules Capital (HTGC) Under Fire: Class Action Filed After Allegations…
• Negative Sentiment: Dozens of law firms are soliciting lead plaintiffs and flag a May 19, 2026 deadline to seek lead-plaintiff status — the flurry of notices suggests the litigation has momentum and keeps the story high in the news cycle, amplifying investor concern. Read notice HTGC Investors Have Opportunity to Lead Hercules Capital, Inc. Securities Fraud Lawsuit

About Hercules Capital

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.