# Hercules Capital Inc. (HTGC) fundamentals

Data as of 2026-11-04. NYSE, United States. Sector: Financial Services / Mortgage Finance. Price $16.41, market value $3.1 billion.

## Valuation
- **P/E (trailing): 8.8×** (5-yr avg 8.8×, 3-yr avg 8.6×). Hercules Capital Inc. trades at 8.8× trailing earnings, close to its own five-year average of 8.8×. The Financial Services median in the September 2026 study was 13.1×. Forward P/E is 8.4×, lower than trailing, so analysts expect earnings to grow.
- **PEG: 0.56**. A PEG of 0.56 means the P/E is low relative to expected earnings growth: the market is not paying much for that growth.
- **Price / book: 1.3×**. The shares trade at 1.3× book value; book value is a meaningful part of the valuation.
- **Free-cash-flow yield: -5.0%** (5-yr avg -7.9%). Free cash flow is negative: the business is consuming cash, which is normal for heavy investment phases but a warning otherwise.
- **Earnings yield: 11.4%**. The inverse of the P/E: 11.4% of the price is earned each year.

## Profitability
- **Return on equity: 15.3%**. 15.3% on shareholders' equity is solid.

## Growth
- **EPS growth (1 yr): 14.9%** (3-yr 32.8%/yr, 5-yr -1.6%/yr). Earnings per share rose 14.9%.

## Financial health
- **Piotroski F-score: 2/9**. 2 of 9 checks pass: weak or deteriorating financials.
- **Cash and short-term investments: $57 million**. Leverage ratios are shown differently for banks and insurers, whose balance sheets are built on deposits and reserves; use return on equity and the regulatory capital in the filings instead.

## Dividends
- **Dividend yield: 11.46%** ($1.60 per share, trailing). Hercules Capital Inc. yields 11.46%, high enough to check carefully: yields this high often precede a cut.
- **Payout ratio: 96%**. 96% of earnings goes out as dividends, leaving a thin cushion.
- **Consecutive years of increases: 1**. 1 straight year of increases.
- **Dividend growth (5 yr): 6.4%/yr** (1-yr 2.2%). The dividend has grown 6.4% a year over five years.

## Analyst view
- **Analyst consensus: strong_buy** (9 analysts). 9 analysts cover Hercules Capital Inc.; the consensus is strong_buy, with an average price target of $19.50 (+19% from the current price). Analyst opinion is shown for context; it is not part of the Fundamental Score.

## Price and momentum
- **Total return (1 yr): 0.8%** (YTD -6.6%, 3-mo -1.7%). The shares are up 0.8% over twelve months including dividends.
- **From 52-week high: -14.2%** (19.8% above the low). Trading 14% below its 52-week high.
- **200-day average: above**. The price sits above its 200-day moving average, the usual definition of an uptrend.
- **RSI (14-day): 47**. An RSI of 47 is neutral.
- **Beta (1 yr): 0.68** (volatility 24%). Beta of 0.68 against the S&P 500: the shares move much less than the market.

Live score and charts: https://foliofundamentals.com/analyzer?s=HTGC · Page: https://foliofundamentals.com/stocks/htgc

Not investment advice.