Herc (NYSE:HRI) Shares Gap Down – Time to Sell?

Herc Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HRI) gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $173.12, but opened at $158.00. Herc shares last traded at $155.5660, with a volume of 212,927 shares traded.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently commented on the company. Citigroup lowered their price target on Herc from $195.00 to $185.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Herc from $150.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Herc from $170.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. KeyCorp reduced their price target on shares of Herc from $200.00 to $190.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Herc from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, November 2nd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $178.29.

Herc Trading Down 2.4%

The stock has a market cap of $4.78 billion, a P/E ratio of -797.83, a P/E/G ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.28, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22. The stock’s fifty day moving average is $160.02 and its 200 day moving average is $139.88.

Herc (NYSE:HRI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, February 17th. The transportation company reported $2.07 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.87 by $0.20. The business had revenue of $1.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.25 billion. Herc had a return on equity of 13.62% and a net margin of 0.02%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 27.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $3.58 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Herc Holdings Inc. will post 12.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Herc Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, March 4th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 18th. Herc’s payout ratio is presently -111.11%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Herc

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. raised its position in Herc by 4.7% in the 4th quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,608 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $239,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. AlphaQuest LLC raised its holdings in shares of Herc by 20.3% in the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 438 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 74 shares during the period. Midwest Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in shares of Herc by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Midwest Financial Group LLC now owns 2,153 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $319,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Herc by 2.8% during the 4th quarter. Wealthspire Advisors LLC now owns 2,717 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $403,000 after acquiring an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. grew its position in Herc by 53.1% in the 3rd quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 248 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 86 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.11% of the company’s stock.

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.