Why Did Hertz (HTZ) Stock Slump Today?

Despite a strong July, shares of Hertz HTZ sunk on Monday morning after an analyst downgraded the rental car company’s stock.

Barclays PLC ADR downgraded Hertz stock from "equal weight" to “underweight" in a recent note to clients. The updated analysis also lowered the company’s stock price to $9 per share, and the analysts touched on the likelihood that Hertz won’t be able to bring down the cost of its rental car fleet soon.

Barclays’ note helped send the company’s stock down by 6% in pre-market trading, and shares eventually plummeted 15.40% in morning trading to $14.68 per share. Monday morning’s downward movement has sent the stock down to its lowest level since mid-July.

Today’s downgrade came after the company began to claw its way back up from its sub-$9 per share 52-week low it reached in June. The company’s stock has crashed since last August when it was trading at $52 per share.

Hertz has been hurt by weak used car sales, which negatively impacts the company’s bottom line. The tough used car market makes it much harder for the company to recoup costs when upgrading its rental car fleet.

However, the month of July had been kind to Hertz after reports emerged that the company partnered with Apple AAPL to help conduct autonomous car tests.

Monday morning has seemingly sent Hertz investors running quickly—its shares have already traded above their average volume before lunch.

Luckily for investors, they won’t have to wait too much longer to know if today’s downgrade reflects what is really going on with the rental car giant, as the company is set to report its second-quarter earnings on August 8.

Hertz is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and scored an “A” for Value in our style score system.

Another Rental Car Company

The Hertz downgrade impacted another company in the industry. Shares of fellow rental car power Avis Budget Group CAR dipped 5.46% in mid-morning trading. Avis is currently a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold) and scored an “A” for Value and “B” for Growth in our style score system.

Avis is set to report its second-quarter earnings on August 8.

More Stock News: 8 Companies Verge on Apple-Like Run

Did you miss Apple's 9X stock explosion after they launched their iPhone in 2007? Now 2017 looks to be a pivotal year to get in on another emerging technology expected to rock the market. Demand could soar from almost nothing to $42 billion by 2025. Reports suggest it could save 10 million lives per decade, which could in turn save $200 billion in U.S. healthcare costs.

A bonus Zacks Special Report names this breakthrough and the 8 best stocks to exploit it. Like Apple in 2007, these companies are already strong and coiling for potential mega-gains. Click to see them right now >>

Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report
 
Avis Budget Group, Inc. (CAR) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Hertz Global Holdings, Inc (HTZ) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
Apple Inc. (AAPL) : Free Stock Analysis Report
 
To read this article on Zacks.com click here.
 
Zacks Investment Research