Herc (NYSE:HRI) Shares Up 5.8% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Herc Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HRI) rose 5.8% during trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $160.90 and last traded at $159.7910. Approximately 324,207 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 45% from the average daily volume of 587,420 shares. The stock had previously closed at $151.04.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HRI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Herc from a “sell (d)” rating to a “sell (d+)” rating in a research note on Friday, July 10th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Herc from $155.00 to $175.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Herc from $160.00 to $176.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Zacks Research upgraded Herc from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 9th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Herc from $140.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Herc presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $173.43.

Herc Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $5.39 billion, a P/E ratio of -595.81, a PEG ratio of 26.86 and a beta of 1.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.24, a current ratio of 1.46 and a quick ratio of 1.46. The company’s 50-day moving average is $141.91 and its two-hundred day moving average is $137.03.

Herc (NYSE:HRI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.21) by $0.42. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.06 billion. Herc had a negative net margin of 0.11% and a positive return on equity of 10.72%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 32.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $1.30 EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Herc Holdings Inc. will post 5.3 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Herc Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, June 12th. Investors of record on Friday, May 29th were given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date was Friday, May 29th. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.7%. Herc’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently -1,037.04%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Hantz Financial Services Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Herc by 342.1% in the 4th quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 168 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares in the last quarter. Advisory Services Network LLC acquired a new position in shares of Herc during the 3rd quarter worth $35,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Herc during the 3rd quarter worth $40,000. NewEdge Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of Herc by 628.8% during the 3rd quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 430 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $50,000 after buying an additional 371 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its stake in Herc by 50.2% in the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 332 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $51,000 after buying an additional 111 shares in the last quarter. 93.11% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Herc Company Profile

Herc Holdings Inc (NYSE: HRI) operates as a leading equipment rental provider in North America, offering a wide range of machinery and support services to construction, industrial, government and event sectors. The company’s fleet includes aerial work platforms, earthmoving equipment, material handling solutions, power generation units and specialty tools, enabling clients to scale their operations without the capital expense of ownership. In addition to basic machinery rentals, Herc provides value-added services such as equipment maintenance, on-site safety training and project consulting to help customers optimize productivity and maintain compliance with industry standards.

Founded as part of Hertz Global Holdings, the equipment rental business was spun off as an independent public company in early 2016.