3 Reasons HRI is Risky and 1 Stock to Buy Instead

Herc has been treading water for the past six months, recording a small return of 0.7% while holding steady at $132.22. The stock also fell short of the S&P 500’s 10.4% gain during that period.

Is now the time to buy Herc, or should you be careful about including it in your portfolio? Get the full breakdown from our expert analysts, it’s free for active Edge members.

Why Is Herc Not Exciting?

We're sitting this one out for now. Here are three reasons why HRI doesn't excite us and a stock we'd rather own.

1. EPS Took a Dip Over the Last Two Years

Although long-term earnings trends give us the big picture, we like to analyze EPS over a shorter period to see if we are missing a change in the business.

Sadly for Herc, its EPS declined by 15.2% annually over the last two years while its revenue grew by 12.8%. This tells us the company became less profitable on a per-share basis as it expanded.

2. Free Cash Flow Margin Dropping

Free cash flow isn't a prominently featured metric in company financials and earnings releases, but we think it's telling because it accounts for all operating and capital expenses, making it tough to manipulate. Cash is king.

As you can see below, Herc’s margin dropped by 9.4 percentage points over the last five years. This along with its unexciting margin put the company in a tough spot, and shareholders are likely hoping it can reverse course. If the trend continues, it could signal it’s becoming a more capital-intensive business. Herc’s free cash flow margin for the trailing 12 months was 5.6%.

3. High Debt Levels Increase Risk

Debt is a tool that can boost company returns but presents risks if used irresponsibly. As long-term investors, we aim to avoid companies taking excessive advantage of this instrument because it could lead to insolvency.

Herc’s $9.69 billion of debt exceeds the $61 million of cash on its balance sheet. Furthermore, its 6× net-debt-to-EBITDA ratio (based on its EBITDA of $1.73 billion over the last 12 months) shows the company is overleveraged.

At this level of debt, incremental borrowing becomes increasingly expensive and credit agencies could downgrade the company’s rating if profitability falls. Herc could also be backed into a corner if the market turns unexpectedly – a situation we seek to avoid as investors in high-quality companies.

We hope Herc can improve its balance sheet and remain cautious until it increases its profitability or pays down its debt.

Final Judgment

Herc isn’t a terrible business, but it doesn’t pass our quality test. With its shares trailing the market in recent months, the stock trades at 16× forward P/E (or $132.22 per share). While this valuation is fair, the upside isn’t great compared to the potential downside. We're fairly confident there are better stocks to buy right now. We’d suggest looking at the most entrenched endpoint security platform on the market.

Stocks We Would Buy Instead of Herc

The market’s up big this year - but there’s a catch. Just 4 stocks account for half the S&P 500’s entire gain. That kind of concentration makes investors nervous, and for good reason. While everyone piles into the same crowded names, smart investors are hunting quality where no one’s looking - and paying a fraction of the price. Check out the high-quality names we’ve flagged in our Top 5 Growth Stocks for this month. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 244% over the last five years (as of June 30, 2025).

Stocks that have made our list include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+1,326% between June 2020 and June 2025) as well as under-the-radar businesses like the once-small-cap company Comfort Systems (+782% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today.

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