Trexquant Investment LP Invests $2.16 Million in Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC)

Trexquant Investment LP purchased a new stake in shares of Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor purchased 107,332 shares of the financial services provider’s stock, valued at approximately $2,156,000.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Left Brain Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Hercules Capital by 32.2% during the fourth quarter. Left Brain Wealth Management LLC now owns 275,876 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $5,542,000 after purchasing an additional 67,215 shares during the last quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets boosted its holdings in Hercules Capital by 511.2% in the third quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 53,068 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $1,042,000 after acquiring an additional 44,386 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Hercules Capital by 28.0% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 387,225 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $7,667,000 after acquiring an additional 84,780 shares during the last quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of Hercules Capital by 14.0% during the fourth quarter. Tectonic Advisors LLC now owns 493,808 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $9,921,000 after acquiring an additional 60,776 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Magnetar Financial LLC bought a new position in Hercules Capital in the 4th quarter worth about $324,000. Institutional investors own 19.69% of the company’s stock.

Hercules Capital Trading Down 2.5 %

NYSE:HTGC opened at $16.19 on Wednesday. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $19.74 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.73. The company has a market cap of $2.80 billion, a PE ratio of 10.06 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a current ratio of 2.72, a quick ratio of 2.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89. Hercules Capital, Inc. has a 12 month low of $15.80 and a 12 month high of $22.04.

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The financial services provider reported $0.49 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.49. The company had revenue of $121.78 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $124.09 million. Hercules Capital had a return on equity of 17.19% and a net margin of 53.28%. Research analysts forecast that Hercules Capital, Inc. will post 1.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Hercules Capital Cuts Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 26th were given a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $1.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 11.61%. Hercules Capital’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 99.38%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts have weighed in on HTGC shares. Compass Point raised their price objective on shares of Hercules Capital from $18.25 to $20.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Piper Sandler decreased their price objective on shares of Hercules Capital from $23.00 to $20.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. JMP Securities reiterated a “market outperform” rating and set a $22.00 target price on shares of Hercules Capital in a research note on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered their price target on Hercules Capital from $21.50 to $20.50 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Hercules Capital presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $20.70.

Hercules Capital Company Profile

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.