Herc (NYSE:HRI) Hits New 52-Week High - Should You Buy?

Herc Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HRI - Get Free Report) shares reached a new 52-week high during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $214.20 and last traded at $213.83, with a volume of 238375 shares changing hands. The stock had previously closed at $209.47.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on HRI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on Herc from $200.00 to $240.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. StockNews.com cut shares of Herc from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, July 12th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on shares of Herc from $178.00 to $204.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, October 23rd. Barclays raised their price objective on shares of Herc from $175.00 to $250.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, October 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $155.00 price objective on shares of Herc in a report on Tuesday, July 23rd. Four analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and two have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Herc currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $212.25.

Herc Trading Up 2.4 %

The company has a quick ratio of 1.23, a current ratio of 1.23 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.91. The business's fifty day moving average is $155.78 and its 200 day moving average is $147.31. The stock has a market cap of $6.09 billion, a PE ratio of 17.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 2.07.

Herc (NYSE:HRI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, October 22nd. The transportation company reported $4.35 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $4.48 by ($0.13). The firm had revenue of $965.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $931.33 million. Herc had a return on equity of 27.16% and a net margin of 10.09%. The business's revenue was up 6.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $4.00 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Herc Holdings Inc. will post 13.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Herc Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, September 6th. Investors of record on Friday, August 23rd were given a $0.665 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Thursday, August 22nd. This represents a $2.66 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.24%. Herc's dividend payout ratio is presently 21.97%.

Insider Activity at Herc

In other news, Director Michael A. Kelly sold 3,880 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.83, for a total transaction of $810,260.40. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 13,774 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,876,424.42. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. In other Herc news, Director Michael A. Kelly sold 3,880 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Thursday, October 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $208.83, for a total transaction of $810,260.40. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 13,774 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,876,424.42. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, SVP Tamir Peres sold 5,821 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, July 31st. The shares were sold at an average price of $159.03, for a total transaction of $925,713.63. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 35,415 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,632,047.45. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders have sold 19,701 shares of company stock valued at $3,203,074. Insiders own 1.80% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Herc by 1.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 2,936,945 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $494,288,000 after purchasing an additional 38,798 shares during the period. Tidal Investments LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Herc during the 1st quarter worth $990,000. SG Americas Securities LLC increased its holdings in shares of Herc by 226.4% during the 2nd quarter. SG Americas Securities LLC now owns 5,643 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $752,000 after buying an additional 3,914 shares during the last quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co boosted its holdings in Herc by 232.2% in the first quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 14,618 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $2,461,000 after acquiring an additional 10,217 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Quest Partners LLC grew its position in Herc by 15,137.8% during the second quarter. Quest Partners LLC now owns 6,857 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $914,000 after acquiring an additional 6,812 shares during the period. 93.11% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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