H&E Equipment reports Q4 EPS 1.47 , consensus $1.22

Reports Q4 revenue 385.81M, consensus $382.59M.Total equipment rental revenues were $316.9M, an increase of $41.2 m, or 14.9%, compared to $275.7M.. Rental revenues were $280.6M, an increase of $35.6 M or 14.5%, compared to $245.0m. Reviewing the Company’s fourth quarter and full year performance, Brad Barber, chief executive officer of H&E, referred to several important developments. Mr. Barber pointed out, “Strong execution of strategic initiatives and resilient non-residential activity resulted in healthy financial metrics throughout the year. Total revenues in the fourth quarter improved 9.3% compared to the year-ago quarter, while rental revenues grew 14.5% over the same period, resulting in a rental margin of approximately 54.2%. For the full year, total revenues set a Company record of just under $1.5 billion, representing an 18.1% increase compared to total revenues in the previous year. Over the same period, rental revenues grew 24.1%, exceeding $1.0 billion for the first time, and completed the year with an average margin of 52.1%. Indicative of the durable industry fundamentals, rental rates in the fourth quarter improved 3.8% compared to the same quarter in 2022, and 0.8% on a sequential quarterly basis. For the full year, rental rates were 5.6% better than 2022. Our strategic accomplishments in 2023 included a record gross fleet investment totaling $737 million, exceeding our revised target range for the year. We completed the year with a fleet original equipment cost (OEC) of approximately $2.8 billion, or 18.3% greater than our fleet OEC at the conclusion of 2022. Our average fleet age of 39.7 months remained among the youngest in the industry.” “The pace of branch expansion remained impressive throughout 2023, further strengthening the Company’s competitive position. The success of our accelerated branch expansion program led to a record 14 branch additions in 2023, including three new locations in the fourth quarter. These branch additions established greater density in the Gulf Coast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast and Midwest regions, providing the Company with increased exposure to new projects. Also, additional growth and improved positioning was accomplished through the acquisition of attractive and well-managed businesses with operations in core metropolitan statistical areas of the U.S. One transaction, which closed in the fourth quarter, added three locations in California, increasing the number of branch additions to 17 in 2023, or a 14% increase across our branch network when compared to the branch count at the conclusion of 2022.”