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

Herc Holdings Inc. (NYSE:HRI)’s stock price gapped down prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $200.04, but opened at $172.67. Herc shares last traded at $170.09, with a volume of 433,988 shares changing hands.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on HRI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on Herc from $200.00 to $240.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, October 23rd. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on Herc from $204.00 to $234.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, December 12th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective on Herc from $175.00 to $250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report 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, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $219.75.

Herc Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $197.73 and its 200-day moving average price is $183.41. The company has a market capitalization of $5.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.15, a P/E/G ratio of 1.08 and a beta of 2.04. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.89, a quick ratio of 1.22 and a current ratio of 1.22.

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

Herc Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Tuesday, March 4th. Investors of record on Tuesday, February 18th will be given a $0.70 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, February 18th. This is a positive change from Herc’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.67. This represents a $2.80 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.51%. Herc’s payout ratio is currently 21.75%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Herc

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in shares of Herc by 878.9% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 186 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $35,000 after purchasing an additional 167 shares during the last quarter. Quarry LP lifted its stake 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 buying an additional 194 shares in the last quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its stake in Herc by 53.3% in the 4th quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 230 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $44,000 after buying an additional 80 shares in the last quarter. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in Herc by 27.7% during the 3rd quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 281 shares of the transportation company’s stock valued at $45,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Covestor Ltd increased its position in Herc by 70.4% during the third quarter. Covestor Ltd now owns 322 shares of the transportation company’s stock worth $51,000 after buying an additional 133 shares in the last quarter. 93.11% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.