Herc (NYSE:HRI) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Wells Fargo & Company Analyst Says

Key Points

• Wells Fargo raised its price objective on Herc to $176 and kept an overweight rating, implying roughly a 35.5% upside from the prior close.
• Herc beat Q1 expectations with $1.14B revenue and $0.21 EPS and said the H&E acquisition is integrated, but margins remain thin (net margin ~0.02%) and leverage is high (debt-to-equity ~4.17), which tempers the bullish case.
• Analysts are mixed: the consensus rating is Hold with an average target of $162.33 (five Buys, one Hold, two Sells), and the stock recently traded around $129.90, down about 3%.

Herc (NYSE:HRI - Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by analysts at Wells Fargo & Company from $160.00 to $176.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has an "overweight" rating on the transportation company's stock. Wells Fargo & Company's price objective indicates a potential upside of 35.49% from the stock's previous close.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of Herc from $165.00 to $125.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 10th. Robert W. Baird lowered their price objective on Herc from $200.00 to $198.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 18th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Herc from $165.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 13th. KeyCorp reduced their target price on Herc from $190.00 to $165.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 16th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Herc in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Five equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Herc presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $162.33.

Herc Stock Down 3.0%

NYSE:HRI traded down $4.06 during trading hours on Wednesday, reaching $129.90. The company's stock had a trading volume of 163,665 shares, compared to its average volume of 610,201. The company has a market capitalization of $4.33 billion, a P/E ratio of -725.32, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 28.80 and a beta of 1.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 4.17, a quick ratio of 1.31 and a current ratio of 1.31. Herc has a 12 month low of $88.45 and a 12 month high of $188.35. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $115.50 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $136.57.

Herc (NYSE:HRI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The transportation company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.21) by $0.42. The firm had revenue of $1.14 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.08 billion. Herc had a return on equity of 13.21% and a net margin of 0.02%.The firm's quarterly revenue was up 32.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $1.30 EPS. Equities analysts predict that Herc will post 4.16 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Herc

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of HRI. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Herc in the 4th quarter valued at about $287,269,000. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its holdings in Herc by 86,823.0% in the fourth quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 1,335,138 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $198,108,000 after purchasing an additional 1,333,602 shares during the period. Freestone Grove Partners LP boosted its position in Herc by 667.9% during the fourth quarter. Freestone Grove Partners LP now owns 573,149 shares of the transportation company's stock worth $85,044,000 after acquiring an additional 498,511 shares during the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. grew its stake in Herc by 11.2% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 4,123,437 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $481,040,000 after acquiring an additional 413,719 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Goldman Sachs Group Inc. raised its holdings in Herc by 305.6% in the 4th quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 425,582 shares of the transportation company's stock valued at $63,148,000 after acquiring an additional 320,649 shares during the last quarter. 93.11% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Herc

Here are the key news stories impacting Herc this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q1 results beat expectations: Revenue of ~$1.14B topped estimates and GAAP EPS of $0.21 beat the consensus (and Zacks’ loss estimate), driven by strong rental demand and contributions from the H&E acquisition. Herc Holdings Reports First Quarter 2026 Results and Affirms 2026 Full Year Guidance
• Positive Sentiment: H&E acquisition integration progressing: Management says the H&E integration is complete and is already expanding specialty locations and sales reach — a driver for revenue growth and longer-term margin upside. Herc Holdings Inc. 2026 Q1 - Results - Earnings Call Presentation
• Neutral Sentiment: Management reaffirmed full-year 2026 guidance on the call, which reduces downside risk but leaves performance tied to execution on cost synergies and fleet utilization. Herc Holdings surges following Q1 results beat
• Neutral Sentiment: Earnings call and transcripts provide color on demand trends, margin trajectory and capital allocation; analysts and services summarized the balanced growth vs. risk takeaway. Herc Holdings Inc. (HRI) Q1 2026 Earnings Call Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Margins remain thin and year-over-year EPS is lower than last year despite the beat; net margin was effectively flat (0.02%), which may temper enthusiasm about profitability improvement. Herc Holdings (HRI) Q1 Earnings and Revenues Beat Estimates
• Negative Sentiment: High leverage and valuation questions: a high debt-to-equity ratio and the company’s valuation metrics (and a wide swing in recent price action) are likely causing some investors to take profits or hesitate on adding exposure. Herc’s NYSE: HRI Q1 CY2026 Sales Top Estimates

About Herc

Herc Holdings Inc NYSE: HRI operates as a leading equipment rental provider in North America, offering a wide range of machinery and support services to construction, industrial, government and event sectors. The company's fleet includes aerial work platforms, earthmoving equipment, material handling solutions, power generation units and specialty tools, enabling clients to scale their operations without the capital expense of ownership. In addition to basic machinery rentals, Herc provides value-added services such as equipment maintenance, on-site safety training and project consulting to help customers optimize productivity and maintain compliance with industry standards.

Founded as part of Hertz Global Holdings, the equipment rental business was spun off as an independent public company in early 2016.

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