H&E Equipment Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:HEES) Short Interest Update

H&E Equipment Services, Inc. (NASDAQ:HEES) was the target of a large increase in short interest in the month of July. As of July 31st, there was short interest totalling 1,030,000 shares, an increase of 16.3% from the July 15th total of 885,400 shares. Approximately 3.2% of the company’s shares are short sold. Based on an average daily volume of 299,400 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 3.4 days.

H&E Equipment Services Stock Performance

Shares of HEES stock traded down $0.12 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $45.87. The company had a trading volume of 283,116 shares, compared to its average volume of 267,753. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 2.17, a quick ratio of 0.62 and a current ratio of 0.61. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $46.52 and a 200-day moving average price of $52.10. H&E Equipment Services has a one year low of $38.06 and a one year high of $66.18. The firm has a market cap of $1.68 billion, a PE ratio of 9.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 9.98 and a beta of 1.89.

H&E Equipment Services (NASDAQ:HEES) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 30th. The industrial products company reported $0.91 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $1.03 by ($0.12). The firm had revenue of $376.30 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $382.05 million. H&E Equipment Services had a net margin of 10.53% and a return on equity of 30.84%. H&E Equipment Services’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $1.14 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that H&E Equipment Services will post 3.73 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

H&E Equipment Services Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, September 13th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 28th will be given a $0.275 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 28th. This represents a $1.10 annualized dividend and a yield of 2.40%. H&E Equipment Services’s payout ratio is presently 23.55%.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On H&E Equipment Services

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd bought a new stake in H&E Equipment Services during the 4th quarter worth approximately $482,000. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC raised its position in shares of H&E Equipment Services by 94.6% during the 4th quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC now owns 113,603 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $5,944,000 after purchasing an additional 55,214 shares during the period. Semanteon Capital Management LP purchased a new position in shares of H&E Equipment Services during the 4th quarter valued at $879,000. Foundry Partners LLC boosted its holdings in H&E Equipment Services by 15.9% in the 1st quarter. Foundry Partners LLC now owns 88,603 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,687,000 after buying an additional 12,152 shares during the period. Finally, CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co increased its stake in H&E Equipment Services by 645.4% in the 1st quarter. CANADA LIFE ASSURANCE Co now owns 21,968 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,411,000 after buying an additional 19,021 shares in the last quarter. 84.08% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

HEES has been the subject of several research reports. Raymond James initiated coverage on H&E Equipment Services in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They issued a “market perform” rating for the company. UBS Group dropped their target price on shares of H&E Equipment Services from $63.00 to $60.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of H&E Equipment Services from $65.00 to $62.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, July 31st. KeyCorp started coverage on shares of H&E Equipment Services in a research note on Friday, August 9th. They set a “sector weight” rating on the stock. Finally, StockNews.com cut shares of H&E Equipment Services from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, May 2nd. Three analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and three have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $61.67.

H&E Equipment Services Company Profile

H&E Equipment Services, Inc operates as an integrated equipment services company in the United States. The company operates in five segments: Equipment Rentals, Sales of Rental Equipment, Sales of New Equipment, Parts Sales, and Repair and Maintenance Services. The Equipment Rentals segment provides construction and industrial equipment for rent on a daily, weekly, and monthly basis.