Herc (HRI) Competitors

Caterpillar (NYSE:CAT) and Herc (NYSE:HRI) are related companies, but which is the superior stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, valuation, analyst recommendations, risk, media sentiment, institutional ownership, earnings and profitability.

Does the media refer more to CAT or HRI?

In the previous week, Caterpillar had 56 more articles in the media than Herc. MarketBeat recorded 64 mentions for Caterpillar and 8 mentions for Herc. Herc's average media sentiment score of 1.48 beat Caterpillar's score of 0.54 indicating that Herc is being referred to more favorably in the news media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
Caterpillar	24 Very Positive mention(s)	5 Positive mention(s)	11 Neutral mention(s)	7 Negative mention(s)	2 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
Herc	6 Very Positive mention(s)	1 Positive mention(s)	1 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Is CAT or HRI a better dividend stock?

Caterpillar pays an annual dividend of $6.04 per share and has a dividend yield of 1.4%. Herc pays an annual dividend of $2.80 per share and has a dividend yield of 2.2%. Caterpillar pays out 30.7% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Herc pays out 325.6% of its earnings in the form of a dividend, suggesting it may not have sufficient earnings to cover its dividend payment in the future. Caterpillar has increased its dividend for 30 consecutive years and Herc has increased its dividend for 2 consecutive years.

Do analysts prefer CAT or HRI?

Caterpillar currently has a consensus target price of $457.20, suggesting a potential upside of 8.73%. Herc has a consensus target price of $144.60, suggesting a potential upside of 11.98%. Given Herc's higher possible upside, analysts plainly believe Herc is more favorable than Caterpillar.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
Caterpillar	0 Sell rating(s)	5 Hold rating(s)	11 Buy rating(s)	2 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.83
Herc	0 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	3 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.50

Which has more risk & volatility, CAT or HRI?

Caterpillar has a beta of 1.41, indicating that its stock price is 41% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, Herc has a beta of 1.83, indicating that its stock price is 83% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Do institutionals & insiders have more ownership in CAT or HRI?

71.0% of Caterpillar shares are owned by institutional investors. Comparatively, 93.1% of Herc shares are owned by institutional investors. 0.3% of Caterpillar shares are owned by company insiders. Comparatively, 1.3% of Herc shares are owned by company insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a stock is poised for long-term growth.

Is CAT or HRI more profitable?

Caterpillar has a net margin of 14.95% compared to Herc's net margin of 0.61%. Caterpillar's return on equity of 48.95% beat Herc's return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
Caterpillar	14.95%	48.95%	10.60%
Herc	0.61%	20.77%	3.38%

Which has higher earnings and valuation, CAT or HRI?

Caterpillar has higher revenue and earnings than Herc. Caterpillar is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than Herc, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
Caterpillar	$64.81B	3.04	$10.79B	$19.66	21.39
Herc	$3.57B	1.20	$211M	$0.86	150.15

Summary

Caterpillar beats Herc on 13 of the 20 factors compared between the two stocks.