Empowered Funds LLC Invests $5.52 Million in Herc Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HRI)

Empowered Funds LLC bought a new position in shares of Herc Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HRI - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund bought 29,171 shares of the transportation company's stock, valued at approximately $5,523,000. Empowered Funds LLC owned approximately 0.10% of Herc at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. FMR LLC increased its holdings in Herc by 8.3% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 736,809 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $117,470,000 after purchasing an additional 56,191 shares in the last quarter. State Street Corp grew its holdings in shares of Herc by 0.5% during the third quarter. State Street Corp now owns 665,904 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $106,165,000 after buying an additional 3,006 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Herc by 1.1% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 637,070 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $101,589,000 after buying an additional 6,874 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in Herc by 6.3% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 395,229 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $63,011,000 after acquiring an additional 23,411 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Artemis Investment Management LLP acquired a new position in Herc during the 4th quarter worth approximately $71,211,000. 93.11% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Herc Stock Up 3.0 %

HRI traded up $5.77 during trading on Friday, reaching $201.12. 352,083 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 275,636. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22. The stock's 50 day moving average price is $198.29 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $182.82. Herc Holdings Inc. has a twelve month low of $124.70 and a twelve month high of $246.88. The stock has a market cap of $5.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.44, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 2.04.

Herc (NYSE:HRI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 13th. The transportation company reported $3.58 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $3.98 by ($0.40). Herc had a return on equity of 26.35% and a net margin of 10.09%. The firm had revenue of $934.00 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $919.84 million. Equities analysts expect that Herc Holdings Inc. will post 13.48 EPS for the current year.

Herc Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be paid a dividend of $0.70 per share. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.39%. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This is a boost from Herc's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. Herc's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 21.75%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of Herc from $175.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of Herc from $204.00 to $234.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Herc from $200.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Herc currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $219.75.

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.