Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC – Get Rating) shares hit a new 52-week low on Monday after Piper Sandler lowered their price target on the stock from $16.00 to $13.00. Piper Sandler currently has a neutral rating on the stock. Hercules Capital traded as low as $11.22 and last traded at $11.22, with a volume of 3165 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $11.58.

Other research analysts have also issued reports about the stock. StockNews.com lowered shares of Hercules Capital from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Monday, June 20th. JMP Securities reduced their price target on shares of Hercules Capital from $19.00 to $18.00 and set a "market outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, August 1st. Oppenheimer lowered shares of Hercules Capital from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and reduced their price target for the company from $18.00 to $15.00 in a research report on Friday, July 29th. TheStreet lowered shares of Hercules Capital from a "b" rating to a "c-" rating in a research report on Monday, July 11th. Finally, Compass Point dropped their target price on shares of Hercules Capital to $15.75 in a report on Tuesday, August 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $17.06.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Hercules Capital

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. BDO Wealth Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Hercules Capital by 76.4% in the second quarter. BDO Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,217 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 960 shares during the last quarter. Joseph P. Lucia & Associates LLC acquired a new position in shares of Hercules Capital during the first quarter worth about $57,000. Prospera Financial Services Inc acquired a new position in Hercules Capital during the first quarter worth about $59,000. Orion Capital Management LLC grew its position in Hercules Capital by 33.3% during the second quarter. Orion Capital Management LLC now owns 4,000 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $54,000 after buying an additional 1,000 shares during the period. Finally, SeaCrest Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Hercules Capital in the second quarter valued at approximately $57,000. 23.79% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Hercules Capital Stock Down 3.5 %

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC – Get Rating) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, July 28th. The financial services provider reported $0.32 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.33 by ($0.01). The business had revenue of $72.12 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $72.41 million. Hercules Capital had a net margin of 4.86% and a return on equity of 11.63%. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 3.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $0.32 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that Hercules Capital, Inc. will post 1.35 EPS for the current year.

Hercules Capital Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, August 16th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, August 9th were given a $0.50 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 8th. This is a positive change from Hercules Capital's previous quarterly dividend of $0.33. This represents a $2.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 17.89%. Hercules Capital's dividend payout ratio is currently 1,272.84%.

About Hercules Capital

(Get Rating)

Hercules Capital, Inc is a business development company. The firm specializing in providing venture debt, debt, senior secured loans, and growth capital to privately held venture capital-backed companies at all stages of development from startups, to expansion stage including select publicly listed companies and select special opportunity lower middle market companies that require additional capital to fund acquisitions, recapitalizations and refinancing and established-stage companies.

Featured Stories

• Get a free copy of the StockNews.com research report on Hercules Capital (HTGC)
• Near-Term Headwinds Send Nike To The Bargain Basement
• Archer Daniels Midland: Dividend Hero With 49 Years Of Increases
• Will Fully Autonomous Tractors Make Deere the Tesla of Farming?
• Magna International is Your Auto and EV One-Stop Shop Stock
• Is the Bond Market Signaling a Market Bottom?

Receive News & Ratings for Hercules Capital Daily - Enter your email address below to receive a concise daily summary of the latest news and analysts' ratings for Hercules Capital and related companies with MarketBeat.com's FREE daily email newsletter.