Herc (NYSE:HRI) Research Coverage Started at Citigroup

Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Herc (NYSE:HRI) in a research report sent to investors on Monday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage issued a buy rating and a $165.00 price target on the transportation company’s stock.

Separately, The Goldman Sachs Group lowered their price target on Herc from $234.00 to $201.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, March 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Herc currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $202.20.

Herc Stock Down 1.7 %

NYSE HRI opened at $140.66 on Monday. The company has a market cap of $4.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.98, a PEG ratio of 1.61 and a beta of 2.14. 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 company has a 50 day moving average of $170.45 and a 200-day moving average of $183.88. Herc has a 1-year low of $119.60 and a 1-year high of $246.88.

Herc (NYSE:HRI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 13th. The transportation company reported $3.58 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $3.98 by ($0.40). The company had revenue of $934.00 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $919.84 million. Herc had a net margin of 5.91% and a return on equity of 26.48%. On average, equities research analysts expect that Herc will post 12.84 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Herc Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th were given a dividend of $0.70 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 18th. This represents a $2.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.99%. This is a positive change from Herc’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. Herc’s payout ratio is currently 37.79%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Herc

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in Herc by 878.9% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 186 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $35,000 after buying an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP increased its position in Herc by 646.7% in the 4th quarter. Quarry LP now owns 224 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $42,000 after acquiring an additional 194 shares during the period. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in shares of Herc by 53.3% during the fourth quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 230 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $44,000 after acquiring an additional 80 shares during the last quarter. Point72 Asia Singapore Pte. Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Herc during the fourth quarter worth $59,000. Finally, PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Herc by 54.6% in the fourth quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc. now owns 368 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $70,000 after purchasing an additional 130 shares during the last quarter. 93.11% of the stock is currently owned by 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.