Hertz Global Holdings Reports Fourth Quarter 2017 and Full-Year Financial Results

ESTERO, Fla., Feb. 27, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: HTZ) ("Hertz Global" or the "Company") today reported results for its fourth quarter and year ended December 31, 2017.

• Worldwide revenue increased 4% in the fourth quarter
• Net income in the fourth quarter was $616 million, including a one-time benefit of $679 million related to U.S. tax reform
• Adjusted Corporate EBITDA increased to $21 million from $12 million in the prior-year quarter
• The Company's U.S. operational improvement initiatives drove year-over-year progress in the second half of the year compared with the first half of 2017 as reflected in increased revenue expansion, improved fleet utilization and reduced vehicle depreciation expense.

"The Company's top priority in 2017 was to design and launch an operational improvement plan that would drive sustainable, profitable revenue growth," said Kathryn V. Marinello, president and chief executive officer of Hertz.  "In the first half of the year, we right-sized our fleet and began upgrading vehicle quality, redesigned operating processes, including our Ultimate Choice offering, and deployed smart systems for revenue management. In the second half, our performance reflected positive momentum against these initiatives.

"In 2018, we expect to see continued progress from our U.S. improvement programs. However, we also will have elevated investments throughout the year as we implement several, major technology conversions. By 2019, we should begin to evolve toward a more competitive earnings profile."

For the fourth quarter 2017, total revenues were $2.1 billion, a 4% increase versus the fourth quarter 2016. Loss before income taxes for the fourth quarter 2017 was $179 million versus a loss of $466 million in the same period last year. Fourth quarter 2017 net income was $616 million, or $7.42 per diluted share, which included a one-time benefit of $679 million related to U.S. tax reform, compared with a net loss from continuing operations of $438 million during the fourth quarter 2016, or $5.28 per diluted share. The Company reported adjusted net loss for the fourth quarter 2017 of $64 million, or $0.77 adjusted diluted loss per share, compared with adjusted net loss of $59 million, or $0.71 adjusted diluted loss per share, for the same period last year. Adjusted Corporate EBITDA for the fourth quarter 2017 was $21 million, compared to $12 million in the same period last year.

For the full-year 2017, Hertz Global reported net income of $327 million, or $3.94 per diluted share, including the one-time benefit related to U.S. tax reform, compared with net loss from continuing operations of $474 million, or $5.65 per diluted share, for 2016.  Total revenues for 2017 were unchanged from 2016 at $8.8 billion.  The Company reported adjusted net loss for 2017 of $132 million, or $1.59 adjusted diluted loss per share, compared with adjusted net income of $41 million, or $0.49 adjusted diluted earnings per share, for the same period last year. Adjusted corporate EBITDA for 2017 was $267 million, versus $553 million for 2016.

Total U.S. RAC revenues increased 1% versus the same period last year.  Transaction days increased by 3% year-over-year as a result of increased rentals to commercial customers, including corporate, insurance replacement and ride-hailing drivers.  Pricing, as measured by Total Revenue Per Day (Total RPD), decreased 1% in the quarter. Excluding ancillary revenue and the growth in ride-hailing rentals, pricing increased 3% over the 2016 fourth quarter.

The 3% increase in transaction days combined with 1% reduction in U.S. fleet capacity resulted in a 250-basis point increase in utilization in the quarter.  Revenue per unit, an important measure of asset efficiency, increased 2% over the prior year.

The revenue improvement along with a 6% decrease in monthly depreciation per unit supported a year-over-year increase in Adjusted Corporate EBITDA in the fourth quarter, despite higher expenses associated with the Company's operating turnaround initiatives and increased vehicle interest expense due to rising interest rates.  

The Company's International RAC segment revenues increased 10% from the fourth quarter 2016, or 4% excluding currency adjustments, driven by a 3% increase in Total RPD and a 1% increase in transaction days.  Excluding the sale of the Company's Brazil rental car and leasing operations to Localiza in August 2017, transaction days increased 6%.

The 1% increase in transaction days combined with flat fleet capacity resulted in a 40-basis point increase in utilization in the quarter.  Revenue per unit, an important measure of asset efficiency, increased 4% over the prior year.

Fourth quarter 2017 Adjusted Corporate EBITDA for International RAC decreased compared with a year ago in part due to the divestiture of the Brazil fleet, declining residual values on diesel vehicles in Europe and elevated fleet-related expenses.  

STRATEGIC INVESTMENTS – 2018 expenses will continue to be elevated as the Company remains committed to its U.S. operating turnaround initiatives. The elevated expense level will be targeted toward new marketing campaigns, ongoing field process improvements, an upgraded model-year 2018 fleet and the deployment of several redesigned technology platforms. The  benefits from its U.S. turnaround program are expected to accelerate in 2019.

BALANCE SHEET – The Company had more than $1.6 billion of corporate liquidity at December 31, 2017.  It has no material corporate debt maturities due until October 2020. In January 2018, it executed a $1 billion five-year term ABS transaction for U.S. rental car with proceeds used to refinance its 2018 vehicle debt maturities.

TAX REFORM – The enactment of U.S. tax reform resulted in the Company recording an estimated net benefit of $679 million, resulting from the remeasured valuation of its net deferred tax liabilities. It does not anticipate a liability from the one-time charge on accumulated foreign earnings. Due to the lower corporate tax rate in 2018, the Company's effective tax rate now is estimated to be between 23% and 26% on results in future years.

RESULTS OF THE HERTZ CORPORATION

The GAAP and Non-GAAP profitability metrics for Hertz Global's operating subsidiary, The Hertz Corporation ("Hertz"), are materially the same as those for Hertz Global.

EARNINGS WEBCAST INFORMATION

Hertz Global's fourth quarter 2017 live webcast discussion will be held on February 28, 2018, at 8:00 a.m. Eastern. The earnings release and related supplemental schedules containing the reconciliations of non-GAAP measures will be available on our website, IR.Hertz.com.

ANNUAL MEETING OF STOCKHOLDERS

The Company's Board of Directors has set the date of the annual meeting of stockholders for May 22, 2018.  Holders of record at the close of business on March 27, 2018, will be entitled to vote at the meeting.  The Annual Meeting will be a completely virtual meeting, which will be conducted via live audio webcast.  Shareholders will be able to attend the Annual Meeting online, vote their shares electronically and submit questions during the Annual Meeting via a live audio webcast by visiting www.virtualshareholdermeeting.com/HTZ2018. This information will also be announced in the Company's proxy materials, which it expects to file with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission in late March or early April 2018.

SELECTED FINANCIAL AND OPERATING DATA, SUPPLEMENTAL SCHEDULES AND DEFINITIONS

Following are tables that present selected financial and operating data of Hertz Global. Also included are Supplemental Schedules which are provided to present segment results and reconciliations of non-GAAP measures to their most comparable GAAP measure. Following the Supplemental Schedules, the Company provides definitions for terminology used throughout this earnings release and provides the usefulness of non-GAAP measures to investors and additional purposes for which management uses such measures.

ABOUT HERTZ

The Hertz Corporation, a subsidiary of Hertz Global Holdings, Inc., operates the Hertz, Dollar and Thrifty vehicle rental brands in approximately 10,200 corporate and franchisee locations throughout North America, Europe, The Caribbean, Latin America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Australia and New Zealand. The Hertz Corporation is one of the largest worldwide airport general use vehicle rental companies, and the Hertz brand is one of the most recognized in the world. Product and service initiatives such as Hertz Gold Plus Rewards, Ultimate Choice, Carfirmations, Mobile Wi-Fi and unique vehicles offered through the Adrenaline, Dream, Green and Prestige Collections set Hertz apart from the competition. Additionally, The Hertz Corporation owns the vehicle leasing and fleet management leader Donlen, operates the Firefly vehicle rental brand and Hertz 24/7 car sharing business in international markets and sells vehicles through Hertz Car Sales. For more information about The Hertz Corporation, visit: www.hertz.com.

CAUTIONARY NOTE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

Certain statements contained in this release, and in related comments by the Company's management, include "forward-looking statements." Forward-looking statements include information concerning the Company's liquidity and its possible or assumed future results of operations, including descriptions of its business strategies. These statements often include words such as "believe," "expect," "project," "potential," "anticipate," "intend," "plan," "estimate," "seek," "will," "may," "would," "should," "could," "forecasts" or similar expressions. These statements are based on certain assumptions that the Company has made in light of its experience in the industry as well as its perceptions of historical trends, current conditions, expected future developments and other factors it believes are appropriate in these circumstances. The Company believes these judgments are reasonable, but you should understand that these statements are not guarantees of performance or results, and the Company's actual results could differ materially from those expressed in the forward-looking statements due to a variety of important factors, both positive and negative, that may be revised or supplemented in subsequent reports on Forms 10-K, 10-Q and 8-K filed or furnished to the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"). Among other items, such factors could include: any claims, investigations or proceedings arising as a result of the restatement in 2015 of the Company's previously issued financial results; the Company's ability to remediate the material weaknesses in its internal controls over financial reporting; levels of travel demand, particularly with respect to airline passenger traffic in the United States and in global markets; the effect of the Company's separation of its vehicle and equipment rental businesses, any failure by Herc Holdings Inc. to comply with the agreements entered into in connection with the separation and the Company's ability to obtain the expected benefits of the separation; significant changes in the competitive environment and the effect of competition in the Company's markets on rental volume and pricing, including on the Company's pricing policies or use of incentives; occurrences that disrupt rental activity during our peak periods; increased vehicle costs due to declines in the value of the Company's non-program vehicles; the Company's ability to purchase adequate supplies of competitively priced vehicles and risks relating to increases in the cost of the vehicles it purchases; the Company's ability to accurately estimate future levels of rental activity and adjust the number and mix of vehicles used in its rental operations accordingly; the Company's ability to maintain sufficient liquidity and the availability to it of additional or continued sources of financing for its revenue earning vehicles and to refinance its existing indebtedness; the Company's ability to adequately respond to changes in technology and customer demands; the Company's access to third-party distribution channels and related prices, commission structures and transaction volumes; an increase in the Company's vehicle costs or disruption to its rental activity, particularly during its peak periods, due to safety recalls by the manufacturers of its vehicles; a major disruption in the Company's communication or centralized information networks; financial instability of the manufacturers of the Company's vehicles; any impact on the Company from the actions of its franchisees, dealers and independent contractors; the Company's ability to sustain operations during adverse economic cycles and unfavorable external events (including war, terrorist acts, natural disasters and epidemic disease); shortages of fuel and increases or volatility in fuel costs; the Company's ability to successfully integrate acquisitions and complete dispositions; the Company's ability to maintain favorable brand recognition and a coordinated and comprehensive branding and portfolio strategy; costs and risks associated with litigation and investigations; risks related to the Company's indebtedness, including its substantial amount of debt, its ability to incur substantially more debt, the fact that substantially all of its consolidated assets secure certain of its outstanding indebtedness and increases in interest rates or in its borrowing margins; the Company's ability to meet the financial and other covenants contained in its Senior Facilities and the Letter of Credit Facility, its outstanding unsecured Senior Notes, its outstanding Senior Second Priority Secured Notes and certain asset-backed and asset-based arrangements; changes in accounting principles, or their application or interpretation, and the Company's ability to make accurate estimates and the assumptions underlying the estimates, which could have an effect on operating results; risks associated with operating in many different countries, including the risk of a violation or alleged violation of applicable anticorruption or antibribery laws and the Company's ability to repatriate cash from non-U.S. affiliates without adverse tax consequences; the Company's ability to prevent the misuse or theft of information it possesses, including as a result of cyber security breaches and other security threats; the Company's ability to successfully implement its information technology and finance transformation programs; changes in the existing, or the adoption of new laws, regulations, policies or other activities of governments, agencies and similar organizations where such actions may affect the Company's operations, the cost thereof or applicable tax rates; changes to the Company's senior management team and the dependence of its business operations on its senior management team; the effect of tangible and intangible asset impairment charges; the Company's exposure to uninsured claims in excess of historical levels; fluctuations in interest rates and commodity prices; the Company's exposure to fluctuations in foreign currency exchange rates and other risks and uncertainties described from time to time in periodic and current reports that the Company files with the SEC.

Additional information concerning these and other factors can be found in the Company's filings with the SEC, including its Annual Reports on Form 10-K, Quarterly Reports on Form 10-Q and Current Reports on Form 8-K.

You should not place undue reliance on forward-looking statements. All forward-looking statements attributable to the Company or persons acting on its behalf are expressly qualified in their entirety by the foregoing cautionary statements. All such statements speak only as of the date made, and the Company undertakes no obligation to update or revise publicly any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise.  

FINANCIAL INFORMATION AND OPERATING DATA       

On June 30, 2016, former Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. (for periods on or prior to June 30, 2016, "Old Hertz Holdings" and for periods after June 30, 2016, "Herc Holdings") completed the previously announced separation of its existing vehicle rental and equipment rental businesses into two independent, publicly traded companies (the "Spin-Off"). The separation was structured as a reverse spin-off under which the vehicle rental business was contributed to the Company, the stock of which was then distributed as a dividend to stockholders of Old Hertz Holdings. While the Company was the legal spinnee in the separation, the Company is the accounting successor to the pre-spin-off business. As a result, the former equipment rental business and certain former parent entities of Old Hertz Holdings are presented as discontinued operations in the Company's financial information. Unless noted otherwise, information presented in the following tables and supplemental schedules pertain to Hertz Global's continuing operations.