Herc (NYSE:HRI) Downgraded by StockNews.com

StockNews.com cut shares of Herc (NYSE:HRI) from a buy rating to a hold rating in a report issued on Thursday.

A number of other analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Herc from $117.00 to $142.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 14th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of Herc from $155.00 to $178.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and one has issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Herc currently has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $152.50.

Herc Price Performance

NYSE:HRI traded down $1.66 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $146.90. The stock had a trading volume of 209,430 shares, compared to its average volume of 244,438. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $158.91 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $143.03. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.17 billion, a PE ratio of 12.13, a P/E/G ratio of 0.72 and a beta of 2.27. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.95, a current ratio of 1.51 and a quick ratio of 1.51. Herc has a 12 month low of $93.97 and a 12 month high of $171.00.

Herc (NYSE:HRI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 13th. The transportation company reported $3.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.29 by ($0.05). The firm had revenue of $831.00 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $858.06 million. Herc had a net margin of 10.31% and a return on equity of 28.68%. The business’s revenue was up 5.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $3.44 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Herc will post 14.59 earnings per share for the current year.

Herc Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, March 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 21st were issued a $0.665 dividend. This is a positive change from Herc’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.63. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 20th. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.81%. Herc’s payout ratio is presently 21.97%.

Insider Activity at Herc

In related news, SVP Tamir Peres sold 3,545 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.10, for a total value of $564,009.50. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 41,236 shares in the company, valued at $6,560,647.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. In other news, SVP Tamir Peres sold 3,545 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.10, for a total transaction of $564,009.50. Following the transaction, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Aaron Birnbaum sold 5,844 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, April 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $152.33, for a total transaction of $890,216.52. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 48,232 shares in the company, valued at approximately $7,347,180.56. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 1.80% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Herc

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in shares of Herc during the first quarter worth about $2,331,000. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Herc by 30.5% during the first quarter. Hunter Associates Investment Management LLC now owns 8,947 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $1,516,000 after acquiring an additional 2,093 shares in the last quarter. Capstone Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Herc during the first quarter worth about $960,000. Oak Ridge Investments LLC increased its position in shares of Herc by 2.1% during the first quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 22,982 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $3,868,000 after acquiring an additional 465 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Argent Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Herc by 14.8% during the first quarter. Argent Capital Management LLC now owns 2,692 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $453,000 after acquiring an additional 347 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.11% of the company’s stock.

About Herc

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.