Herc (NYSE:HRI) Posts Earnings Results, Misses Estimates By $1.21 EPS

Herc (NYSE:HRI - Get Free Report) issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday. The transportation company reported $1.30 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.51 by ($1.21), Zacks reports. Herc had a net margin of 5.91% and a return on equity of 26.48%. The firm had revenue of $861.00 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $841.67 million. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.36 EPS.

Herc Stock Down 2.8 %

Herc stock traded down $3.07 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $108.38. 415,990 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 360,394. Herc has a 1-year low of $96.19 and a 1-year high of $246.88. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $130.80 and a two-hundred day moving average of $178.38. The company has a current ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 1.38 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.99. The stock has a market cap of $3.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.63, a P/E/G ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 1.93.

Herc Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Stockholders of record on Tuesday, February 18th were issued a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 2.58%. This is an increase from Herc's previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. Herc's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 37.79%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $146.00 target price (down previously from $171.00) on shares of Herc in a research report on Tuesday. Robert W. Baird lowered their target price on Herc from $129.00 to $110.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Herc from $225.00 to $140.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Herc from $250.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price on shares of Herc from $165.00 to $140.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Herc currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $139.20.

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.