Hertz (NYSE:HTZ) shares plunged more than 14% after the car rental agency reported a wider-than-expected loss for the first quarter. The company posted an adjusted loss of $1.12 per share, compared to analysts' expectations of a $0.95 loss.
Shares of Hertz plummeted Tuesday morning following the company reporting disappointing first-quarter earnings and fleet cuts amid slower bookings and tariffs. Hertz shares were off more than 20% during early morning trading before coming back slightly.
While the top- and bottom-line numbers for Hertz Global (HTZ) give a sense of how the business performed in the quarter ended March 2025, it could be worth looking at how some of its key metrics compare to Wall Street estimates and year-ago values.
Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (HTZ) came out with a quarterly loss of $1.12 per share versus the Zacks Consensus Estimate of a loss of $1.08. This compares to loss of $1.28 per share a year ago.
Get a deeper insight into the potential performance of Hertz Global (HTZ) for the quarter ended March 2025 by going beyond Wall Street's top -and-bottom-line estimates and examining the estimates for some of its key metrics.
Ailing car rental company Hertz (HTZ) got a big boost from billionaire investor Bill Ackman disclosing a 20% stake in HTZ stock.
Every once in a while, investors will get the chance to reverse engineer some of the latest and biggest decisions being made by some of the biggest investors in the market, those who are empowered with the benefit of insight due to successful track records and the sheer size of capital they manage for their investors.
Hertz shares surged 44% after Bill Ackman acquired a 20% stake, making him the second-largest investor and sparking speculation of activist changes. Hertz faces financial challenges with declining cash reserves and rising debt, but Ackman's involvement could facilitate capital raises and strategic AI-related expansions. Despite financial woes, Hertz's valuation is attractive, trading at a discount to the sector and its historical averages, offering potential for short-term gains.
Billionaire Bill Ackman is one of the most closely followed investors. The head of Pershing Square Capital Management is known for betting on beaten-down big-brand stocks like Chipotle and Nike, and he's never hesitant to share his opinion, whether it's on the markets, politics, or another issue.
Sixt is a Germany-based car rental business with rapidly growing U.S. revenues. If you like Hertz as a tariff play, you should definitely take a look at Sixt, which is a far more solid company. If tariffs stay or go way, Sixt is likely to profit either way.
Hertz CEO Gil West said he is "encouraged" and "energized" by prominent investor Bill Ackman taking a "significant" position in the rental car company. The remarks, part of a weekly CEO message to employees, come two days after Ackman's Pershing Square disclosed a sizable stake in Hertz.
Bill Ackman's Pershing Square has built a 19.8% stake in the car rental company.