The Goldman Sachs Group Raises Herc (NYSE:HRI) Price Target to $178.00

Herc (NYSE:HRI) had its price objective hoisted by The Goldman Sachs Group from $155.00 to $178.00 in a report published on Tuesday morning, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a buy rating on the transportation company’s stock.

Separately, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on Herc from $117.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of Hold and an average price target of $152.50.

Herc Stock Down 0.5 %

HRI opened at $150.02 on Tuesday. Herc has a one year low of $93.97 and a one year high of $171.00. The company has a market cap of $4.25 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 12.40, a PEG ratio of 0.78 and a beta of 2.27. The business’s fifty day moving average is $158.59 and its two-hundred day moving average is $140.09. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.97, a quick ratio of 1.44 and a current ratio of 1.44.

Herc (NYSE:HRI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The transportation company reported $3.24 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.29 by ($0.05). The business had revenue of $831.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $858.06 million. Herc had a return on equity of 30.21% and a net margin of 10.58%. Herc’s quarterly revenue was up 5.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $3.44 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Herc will post 13.86 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Herc Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 21st were paid a dividend of $0.665 per share. This is a boost from Herc’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.77%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 20th. Herc’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.98%.

Insider Transactions at Herc

In related news, SVP Tamir Peres sold 3,545 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.10, for a total transaction of $564,009.50. Following the sale, the senior vice president now owns 41,236 shares in the company, valued at $6,560,647.60. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 1.80% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Herc

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Signaturefd LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Herc by 213.3% in the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 235 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 160 shares during the last quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC raised its position in shares of Herc by 576.1% in the 4th quarter. Hexagon Capital Partners LLC now owns 311 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $46,000 after buying an additional 265 shares during the period. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Herc by 90.9% in the first quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 315 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $52,000 after acquiring an additional 150 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP grew its position in Herc by 363.0% during the first quarter. Quarry LP now owns 338 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $38,000 after acquiring an additional 265 shares during the period. Finally, CWM LLC increased its stake in Herc by 45.3% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 359 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the last quarter. 93.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Herc Company Profile

Herc Holdings Inc, together with its subsidiaries, operates as an equipment rental supplier. It rents aerial, earthmoving, material handling, trucks and trailers, air compressors, compaction, and lighting equipment, as well as generators, and safety supplies and expendables; and provides ProSolutions, an industry specific solution based services, such as pumping solutions, power generation, climate control, remediation and restoration, and studio and production equipment.