Wells Fargo & Company Lowers Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) Price Target to $17.00

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) had its price objective cut by equities researchers at Wells Fargo & Company from $18.00 to $17.00 in a note issued to investors on Friday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “overweight” rating on the financial services provider’s stock. Wells Fargo & Company‘s price objective points to a potential upside of 8.89% from the company’s previous close.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b-)” rating on shares of Hercules Capital in a report on Wednesday, January 28th. Lucid Cap Mkts raised Hercules Capital to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 15th. Capital One Financial set a $19.75 price target on Hercules Capital in a report on Monday, December 15th. Piper Sandler downgraded Hercules Capital from an “overweight” rating to a “neutral” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $20.50 to $17.50 in a research note on Friday. Finally, Wall Street Zen cut Hercules Capital from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, December 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $19.39.

Hercules Capital Stock Down 6.0%

HTGC opened at $15.61 on Friday. The stock’s fifty day simple moving average is $18.33 and its 200 day simple moving average is $18.44. Hercules Capital has a 1-year low of $15.40 and a 1-year high of $22.04. The stock has a market cap of $2.84 billion, a PE ratio of 8.53 and a beta of 0.84. The company has a current ratio of 1.65, a quick ratio of 1.65 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.98.

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 12th. The financial services provider reported $0.48 EPS for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.48. The firm had revenue of $133.25 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $141.57 million. Hercules Capital had a net margin of 63.80% and a return on equity of 16.17%. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $0.49 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that Hercules Capital will post 1.96 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. CWM LLC grew its stake in Hercules Capital by 79.6% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,381 shares of the financial services provider’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 612 shares in the last quarter. Fox Run Management L.L.C. lifted 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 acquiring an additional 657 shares during the period. 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 worth $715,000 after acquiring an additional 675 shares in the last quarter. Allworth Financial LP increased its stake in Hercules Capital by 11.4% in the third 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. Finally, Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. raised its position in Hercules Capital by 0.5% during the second quarter. Rockefeller Capital Management L.P. now owns 143,346 shares of the financial services provider’s stock valued at $2,620,000 after purchasing an additional 697 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 19.69% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Hercules Capital

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

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 operational strength: originations rose sharply year‑over‑year and management described a strong quarter with record performance and rising investment income — factors that support future yield and portfolio growth. MSN: Q4 originations rise
• Neutral Sentiment: Dividend/debt optionality highlighted: management is weighing a supplemental dividend and the use of new debt against current valuation — a potential shareholder return but with balance‑sheet implications; outcome will be a near‑term catalyst. Yahoo: Dividend and debt considerations
• Negative Sentiment: Analysts cut targets: Keefe, Bruyette & Woods lowered its price target to $19 (still an outperform) and Wells Fargo trimmed its target to $17 while maintaining overweight — downward revisions reduce headline upside and likely pressured the stock. Benzinga: Analyst target cuts
• Negative Sentiment: Earnings nuance — EPS met estimates but revenue missed and expenses rose year‑over‑year; EPS of $0.48 matched consensus but revenue was $133.3M vs. $141.6M expected, and operating costs increased, which dented the headline print. Zacks: Q4 results
• Negative Sentiment: High trading volume and near‑term uncertainty: the stock saw elevated volume on the print and mixed messages on capital allocation (dividend vs. debt), creating selling pressure until the board provides clearer guidance. MarketBeat: Earnings & materials

Hercules Capital Company 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.