Second Quarter Highlights
– Equipment rental revenue increased 36.8% to $448.0 million
– Total revenues increased 33.4% to $490.9 million
– Net income increased to $47.1 million or $1.55 per diluted share
– Adjusted EBITDA expanded 39.0% to $207.7 million
– Adjusted EBITDA margin rose 170 basis points to 42.3%
– Pricing improved by 1.9%
– Year-to date free cash flow was $141.1 million
– The Company raised full year 2021 guidance for adjusted EBITDA to $840 million to $870 million and net capital fleet expenditures to $500 million to $550 million.
BONITA SPRINGS, Fla.--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- Herc Holdings Inc. (NYSE: HRI) ("Herc Holdings" or the "Company") today reported financial results for the quarter ended June 30, 2021. Equipment rental revenue was $448.0 million and total revenues were $490.9 million in the second quarter of 2021, compared to $327.6 million and $368.0 million, respectively, for the same period last year. The Company reported net income of $47.1 million, or $1.55 per diluted share, in the second quarter of 2021, compared to $2.0 million, or $0.07 per diluted share, in the same 2020 period. Second quarter 2021 adjusted net income was $47.6 million, or $1.57 per diluted share, compared to net income of $7.3 million, or $0.25 per diluted share, in 2020. See page A-5 for the adjusted net income and adjusted earnings per share calculations.
"Our second quarter performance provides momentum for the rest of 2021," said Larry Silber, president and CEO. "Tight supply of new equipment and steady demand from a number of key markets have provided a positive operating environment. Second quarter total revenues were up 33% and adjusted EBITDA increased 39% compared with last year. Adjusted EBITDA margin rose 170 basis points year-over-year to 42.3% in the second quarter, reflecting solid overall performance and excellent growth in our specialty businesses."
2021 Second Quarter Financial Results
- Equipment rental revenue increased 36.8% to $448.0 million compared to $327.6 million in the prior-year period.
- Total revenues increased 33.4% to $490.9 million compared to $368.0 million in the prior-year period. The year-over-year increase of $122.9 million was related primarily to an increase in equipment rental revenue of $120.4 million. Sales of new and old rental equipment were essentially flat compared with the prior year.
- Pricing increased1.9% compared to the same period in 2020.
- Dollar utilization increased to 42.1% compared to 30.8% in the prior-year period.
- Direct operating expenses (DOE) of $203.0 million increased 40.3% compared to the prior-year period. The $58.3 million increase was primarily due to higher personnel-related costs, and increases related to higher year-over-year volume such as delivery and freight, maintenance and re-rent expense.
- Selling, general and administrative expenses (SG&A) increased 30.3% to $74.0 million compared to $56.8 million in the prior-year period. The $17.2 million increase was primarily attributed to increases in selling expenses, including commissions and bonus incentives, stock compensation expense and travel expenses, offset by a reduction in bad debt expense due to continued improvement in collections.
- Interest expense decreased to $21.0 million compared to $23.3 million in the prior-year period. The decrease was primarily related to both lower interest rates and balances of the Company's ABL Credit Facility in 2021.
- The income tax provision was $14.7 million compared with a benefit of $1.9 million for the prior-year period.
- The Company reported net income of $47.1 million compared to $2.0 million in the prior-year period. Adjusted net income was $47.6 million compared to $7.3 million in the prior-year period.
- Adjusted EBITDA increased 39.0% to $207.7 million compared to $149.4 million in the prior-year period. The increase was primarily due to improved operating efficiencies and higher contributions from the sale of rental equipment.
- Adjusted EBITDA margin increased 170 basis points to 42.3% compared with 40.6% in the prior-year period.
2021 First Half Financial Results
- Equipment rental revenue increased 18.8% to $848.4 million compared to $714.1 million in the prior-year period.
- Total revenues increased 17.5% to $944.7 million compared to $804.2 million in the prior-year period. The year-over-year increase of $140.5 million was related primarily to an increase in equipment rental revenue of $134.3 million and sales of rental equipment were nearly flat.
- Pricing increased0.9% compared to the same period in 2020.
- Dollar utilization increased to 40.4% compared to 33.2% in the prior-year period.
- Direct operating expenses (DOE) of $386.0 million increased 15.6% compared to the prior-year period. The $52.1 million increase was primarily due to higher personnel-related costs, and increases related to higher volume such as delivery and freight expenses, maintenance and re-rent expense.
- Selling, general and administrative expenses (SG&A) increased 10.2% to $139.5 million compared to $126.6 million in the prior-year period. The $12.9 million increase was primarily attributed to selling expenses, including commissions and bonus incentives, and higher stock compensation expense, offset by a reduction in bad debt expense due to continued improvement in collections.
- Interest expense decreased to $42.4 million compared to $47.7 million in the prior-year period. The decrease was primarily related to both lower interest rates and balances of the Company's ABL Credit Facility in 2021.
- The income tax provision was $22.9 million compared with a benefit of $0.8 million for the prior-year period.
- The Company reported net income of $80.0 million compared to a loss of $1.7 million in the prior-year period. Adjusted net income was $81.0 million compared to $8.4 million in the prior-year period.
- Adjusted EBITDA increased 32.1% to $392.3 million compared to $297.0 million in the prior-year period. The increase was primarily due to improved operating efficiencies and higher contributions from the sale of rental equipment.
- Adjusted EBITDA margin increased 460 basis points to 41.5% compared with 36.9% in the prior-year period.
Capital Expenditures
- The Company reported net rental equipment capital expenditures of $168.3 million for the first half of 2021. Gross rental equipment capital expenditures were $239.3 million compared with $161.5 million in the comparable prior-year period. Proceeds from disposals were $71.0 million compared to $67.9 million last year. See page A-5 for the calculation of net rental equipment capital expenditures.
- As of June 30, 2021, the Company's total fleet was approximately $3.76 billion at OEC.
- Average fleet at OEC decreased year-over-year by 1.9% compared to the prior-year period.
- Average fleet age was 48 months as of June 30, 2021 compared with 47 months in the comparable prior-year period.
Disciplined Capital Management
- The Company generated $141.1 million in free cash flow in the first half of 2021, compared with $163.5 million in the same period in 2020.
- Cash and cash equivalents were $34.6 million and unused commitments under the ABL Credit Facility and AR Facility contributed to $1.5 billion of liquidity as of June 30, 2021. Net debt was $1.6 billion as of June 30, 2021, with net leverage of 1.9x compared to 2.6x in the same prior-year period.
- The Company's net leverage of 1.9x was below the targeted net leverage range of 2.0x to 3.0x.
Outlook for 2021
The Company raised 2021 guidance ranges:
"Our year-to-date performance along with the current favorable operating environment have prompted us to raise our adjusted EBITDA guidance for the second time this year," said Silber. "We intend to continue to expand our market share, particularly in our specialty businesses, and maximize our operating leverage to drive margins.
"Our strong free cash flow supports our fleet expenditures, greenfield expansion and M&A activity. We are excited to carry our momentum from Q2 into the balance of 2021 for what looks likely to be a record year for Herc Rentals revenues and net income. With net leverage now below our target range of 2x to 3x, we are also reviewing our capital allocation plan," Silber added.
Earnings Call and Webcast Information
Herc Holdings' second quarter 2021 earnings webcast will be held today at 8:30 a.m. U.S. Eastern Time. Interested U.S. parties may call +1-877-883-0383 and international participants should call 1-412-902-6506, using the access code: 8026175. Please dial in at least 10 minutes before the call start time to ensure that you are connected to the call and to register your name and company.
Those who wish to listen to the live conference call and view the accompanying presentation slides should visit the Events and Presentations tab of the Investor Relations section of the Company's website at IR.HercRentals.com. The press release and presentation slides for the call will be posted to this section of the website prior to the call.
A replay of the conference call will be available via webcast on the company website at IR.HercRentals.com, where it will be archived for 90 days after the call. A telephonic replay will be available for one week. To listen to the archived call by telephone, U.S. participants should dial +1-877-344-7529 and international participants 1-412-317-0088 and enter the conference ID number:10157313.
About Herc Holdings Inc.
Herc Holdings Inc., which operates through its Herc Rentals Inc. subsidiary, is one of the leading equipment rental suppliers with 280 locations in North America. With over 55 years of experience, we are a full-line equipment rental supplier offering a broad portfolio of equipment for rent. Our classic fleet includes aerial, earthmoving, material handling, trucks and trailers, air compressors, compaction and lighting. Our equipment rental business is supported by ProSolutions®, our industry-specific solutions-based services, which includes power generation, climate control, remediation and restoration, and studio and production equipment, and our ProContractor professional grade tools. Our product offerings and services are aimed at helping customers work more efficiently, effectively and safely. The Company has approximately 4,800 employees who equip our customers and communities to build a brighter future. Herc Holdings’ 2020 total revenues were approximately $1.8 billion. All references to “Herc Holdings” or the “Company” in this press release refer to Herc Holdings Inc. and its subsidiaries, unless otherwise indicated. For more information on Herc Holdings and its products and services, visit: www.HercRentals.com.
Certain Additional Information
In this release we refer to the following operating measures:
- Dollar utilization: calculated by dividing rental revenue (excluding re-rent, delivery, pick-up and other ancillary revenue) by the average OEC of the equipment fleet for the relevant time period, based on the guidelines of the American Rental Association (ARA).
- OEC: original equipment cost based on the guidelines of the ARA, which is calculated as the cost of the asset at the time it was first purchased plus additional capitalized refurbishment costs (with the basis of refurbished assets reset at the refurbishment date).
Forward-Looking Statements
This press release includes forward-looking statements as that term is defined by the federal securities laws, including statements concerning our business plans and strategy, projected profitability, performance or cash flows, future capital expenditures, our growth strategy, anticipated financing needs, business trends, the impact of and our response to COVID-19, liquidity and capital management, and other information that is not historical information. Forward looking statements are generally identified by the words "estimates," "expects," "anticipates," "projects," "plans," "intends," "believes," "forecasts," "looks," and future or conditional verbs, such as "will," "should," "could" or "may," as well as variations of such words or similar expressions. All forward-looking statements are based upon our current expectations and various assumptions and, there can be no assurance that our current expectations will be achieved. They are subject to future events, risks and uncertainties - many of which are beyond our control - as well as potentially inaccurate assumptions, that could cause actual results to differ materially from those in the forward-looking statements. Further information on the risks that may affect our business is included in filings we make with the Securities and Exchange Commission from time to time, including our most recent annual report on Form 10-K, subsequent quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, and in our other SEC filings. We undertake no obligation to update or revise forward-looking statements that have been made to reflect events or circumstances that arise after the date made or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events.
Information Regarding Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In addition to results calculated according to accounting principles generally accepted in the United States (“GAAP”), the Company has provided certain information in this release that is not calculated according to GAAP (“non-GAAP”), such as EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, adjusted net income, adjusted earnings per diluted common share and free cash flow. Management uses these non-GAAP measures to evaluate operating performance and period-over-period performance of our core business without regard to potential distortions, and believes that investors will likewise find these non-GAAP measures useful in evaluating the Company’s performance. These measures are frequently used by security analysts, institutional investors and other interested parties in the evaluation of companies in our industry. Non-GAAP measures should not be considered in isolation or as a substitute for our reported results prepared in accordance with GAAP and, as calculated, may not be comparable to similarly titled measures of other companies. For the definitions of these terms, further information about management’s use of these measures as well as a reconciliation of these non-GAAP measures to the most comparable GAAP financial measures, please see the supplemental schedules that accompany this release.
(See Accompanying Tables)

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20210722005031/en/
Paul Dickard
Vice President, Communications
pdickard@hercrentals.com
239-301-1214
Elizabeth Higashi, CFA
Vice President, Investor Relations & Sustainability
ehigashi@hercrentals.com
239-301-1024
Source: Herc Holdings Inc.