Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) Short Interest Up 35.3% in March

Hercules Capital, Inc. (NYSE:HTGC - Get Free Report) was the target of a large growth in short interest during the month of March. As of March 15th, there was short interest totalling 6,210,000 shares, a growth of 35.3% from the February 28th total of 4,590,000 shares. Currently, 3.7% of the shares of the company are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 1,180,000 shares, the short-interest ratio is currently 5.3 days.

Hercules Capital Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:HTGC traded down $1.26 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $17.18. 3,326,491 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,023,200. The company has a market cap of $2.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 10.67 and a beta of 1.13. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $20.09 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $19.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 2.72 and a current ratio of 2.72. Hercules Capital has a 1 year low of $16.94 and a 1 year high of $22.04.

Hercules Capital (NYSE:HTGC - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The financial services provider reported $0.49 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.49. Hercules Capital had a net margin of 53.28% and a return on equity of 17.19%. The business had revenue of $121.78 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $124.09 million. Equities analysts predict that Hercules Capital will post 1.96 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hercules Capital Cuts Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, March 5th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 26th were issued a dividend of $0.47 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 26th. This represents a $1.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 10.95%. Hercules Capital's payout ratio is currently 99.38%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts recently commented on HTGC shares. Keefe, Bruyette & Woods raised Hercules Capital from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and raised their target price for the stock from $19.50 to $21.50 in a report on Thursday, December 12th. JMP Securities reaffirmed a "market outperform" rating and set a $22.00 target price on shares of Hercules Capital in a report on Friday, February 14th. Finally, Compass Point increased their price target on shares of Hercules Capital from $18.25 to $20.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating and four have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $21.40.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Hercules Capital

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its stake in Hercules Capital by 10.4% in the 4th quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 3,438,447 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $69,078,000 after purchasing an additional 323,028 shares during the last quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC raised its position in shares of Hercules Capital by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Sound Income Strategies LLC now owns 2,815,214 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $56,558,000 after buying an additional 77,869 shares during the last quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP lifted its stake in shares of Hercules Capital by 205.7% in the fourth quarter. Two Sigma Advisers LP now owns 1,406,900 shares of the financial services provider's stock worth $28,265,000 after buying an additional 946,700 shares in the last quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC grew its stake in Hercules Capital by 6.6% during the 4th quarter. Advisors Capital Management LLC now owns 1,018,210 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $20,456,000 after acquiring an additional 62,610 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Two Sigma Investments LP raised its holdings in Hercules Capital by 106.7% in the 4th quarter. Two Sigma Investments LP now owns 945,849 shares of the financial services provider's stock valued at $19,002,000 after acquiring an additional 488,172 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 19.69% of the company's stock.

About Hercules Capital

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.