3 Companies Where Insiders Were Loading Up On Shares Last Week

Let’s now refocus our discussion on the insider buying activity at VirnetX Holding Corporation (NYSEMKT:VHC). Director Robert D. Short III purchased 3,004 shares on November 24 at a weighted average cost of $2.79, lifting his stake to 56,384 shares. The Director also holds an indirect ownership stake of 50,332 shares through the Short Revocable Living Trust. The developer of software and technology solutions for securing real-time communications over the Internet has seen its shares decline by 51% since the beginning of the year. The company’s business strategy involves licensing its patents and technology to other companies, so its revenue is derived from intellectual property licensing fees and royalties. VirtnetX currently owns 47 U.S and 65 foreign patents with over 75 pending applications. Only five smart money investors tracked by Insider Monkey had positions in the company at the end of September, accumulating 1.00% of its outstanding common stock. D. E. Shaw & Co. L.P., founded by David E. Shaw, was among the largest equity holders of VirnetX Holding Corporation (NYSEMKT:VHC) within our database, owning 300,108 shares.

Lastly, we will take a meticulous look at the insider trading registered at Hercules Technology Growth Capital Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) last week. Director Thomas J. Fallon reported acquiring 10,000 shares last Monday at a weighted average price of $11.16, enlarging his stake to 20,937 shares. The specialty finance company that focuses on offering senior secured loans to high-growth, innovative venture capital-backed companies had a great third quarter in terms of financial performance. Hercules’ third-quarter net investment income added up to $23.6 million, an increase of 40.6% quarter-over-quarter. The company also pays out a quarterly cash dividend of $0.31, offering a current dividend yield of 10.92%. The number of smart money investors with stakes in the specialty finance company declined to 13 from 14 during the September quarter, with them aggregately owning 4.80% of the company’s shares. Lee Munder Capital Group, founded by Lee Munder, added a 1.13 million-share position in Hercules Technology Growth Capital Inc. (NYSE:HTGC) to its portfolio during the third quarter.

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