BONITA SPRINGS, Fla. — Herc Holdings Inc. shares exploded higher by more than 17% in midday trading Thursday, climbing to around $126.69 as investors piled into equipment rental names amid broader sector momentum and positive positioning ahead of the company’s first-quarter 2026 earnings next week.

The stock (NYSE: HRI) opened sharply higher and sustained strong gains throughout the session on April 23, with trading volume surging well above average. The dramatic move comes as the equipment rental industry benefits from optimism around infrastructure spending, construction activity and improving market fundamentals following last year’s major acquisition.

Herc is scheduled to report Q1 results before the market opens on Tuesday, April 28, followed by a conference call at 8:30 a.m. ET. Analysts expect a challenging quarter with potential adjusted losses due to seasonality and integration costs, but Wall Street appears focused on full-year guidance and progress from the transformative H&E Equipment Services deal completed in 2025.

The company’s 2026 outlook remains constructive. Management guided for equipment rental revenue between $4.275 billion and $4.4 billion, with adjusted EBITDA of $2.0 billion to $2.1 billion. Net rental capital expenditures are projected at $500 million to $800 million, supporting fleet expansion and market share gains.

Herc’s acquisition of H&E significantly expanded its footprint, adding over 160 branches and substantial fleet capacity. Integration efforts are advancing, with realized synergies helping offset some near-term pressures. CEO Larry Silber has highlighted the combined platform’s ability to capture scale benefits, cross-sell specialty equipment and participate in large infrastructure projects.

Sector tailwinds amplified Thursday’s rally. Peer United Rentals reported strong results and raised its full-year revenue outlook, sparking gains across rental names. The American Rental Association forecasts 2.8% industry growth in 2026, driven by higher construction spending, specialty equipment demand and record rental penetration rates.

Analysts view Herc as attractively valued despite recent volatility. The stock had pulled back earlier in the year amid macro concerns and integration noise, creating what some called a compelling entry point. Consensus price targets hover around $160-$175, implying substantial upside from current levels even after Thursday’s surge.

Herc operates one of North America’s largest equipment rental fleets, serving construction, industrial and specialty markets. The company maintains a diversified portfolio that includes general tools, heavy machinery and technology-enabled solutions. Its greenfield expansion strategy and focus on urban density have strengthened competitive positioning.

Financially, 2025 marked a pivotal year. Total revenues reached a record $4.376 billion, up 23%, while equipment rental revenue grew 18% to $3.77 billion. Adjusted EBITDA rose 15% to $1.818 billion despite acquisition-related costs. Net leverage stood at approximately 3.95x pro forma at year-end.

Investors appear to be betting on a strong spring and summer construction season. Favorable secular trends in specialty rentals, mega-project participation and post-acquisition synergies provide multiple growth levers. Analysts expect Herc to gain share in a consolidating industry where scale increasingly matters.

Challenges remain. Q1 typically represents the slowest period due to weather and seasonality. Consensus forecasts point to revenue around $1.07-$1.08 billion with potential per-share losses reflecting integration expenses and higher interest costs. However, historical patterns show Herc often outperforms expectations, and any positive commentary on 2026 trends could further boost sentiment.

The stock’s 52-week range reflects significant swings, from lows near $100 to highs above $180. Thursday’s move pushes it toward recent resistance levels and underscores the sector’s sensitivity to macroeconomic signals and earnings anticipation. Options activity suggests traders expect continued volatility around the April 28 print.

Broader market context supports the rally. Optimism around infrastructure legislation, lower interest rate expectations and resilient U.S. construction activity have lifted industrial stocks. Equipment rental penetration continues hitting records, with more contractors choosing to rent rather than own fleets amid capital constraints.

Herc’s leadership team has emphasized disciplined capital allocation, technology investments and customer-centric innovation. The company’s Herc Rentals platform leverages data analytics for fleet optimization and predictive maintenance, differentiating it in a competitive landscape dominated by United Rentals.

Shareholder returns include a quarterly dividend of $0.70 per share. While modest, it signals confidence in cash flow generation as integration matures and utilization rates improve. Buyback authorization provides additional flexibility.

Looking ahead, the April 28 earnings will offer key insights into integration progress, same-store growth, pricing power and regional performance. Management is expected to provide color on mega-project exposure and specialty rental momentum, areas seen as key to above-market growth.

Industry observers note that Herc’s post-acquisition scale positions it well for long-term outperformance. With a larger network, enhanced purchasing power and broader service offerings, the company can better serve national customers while maintaining strong local presence.

As trading continued Thursday afternoon, HRI shares held most of their gains amid elevated volume. The surge stands out in an otherwise mixed market session, highlighting investor appetite for cyclical recovery plays with clear catalysts.

For a company that has transformed through acquisition and strategic expansion, Herc Holdings appears at an inflection point. Thursday’s sharp rally reflects growing belief that 2026 could mark the beginning of sustained earnings power and margin expansion. Whether fundamentals confirm that optimism next week will likely set the tone for the stock through the rest of the year.

Britain’s sole traders and small business owners can now generate an indicative insurance quote without ever leaving ChatGPT, after digital broker Simply Business became the first in the UK to plug its pricing engine directly into OpenAI’s chatbot.

The London-headquartered insurer, which counts more than one million customers across the UK and United States, has switched on a dedicated app inside ChatGPT’s App Directory. A parallel launch has gone live in the US market on the same day.

For the estimated 5.5 million small businesses across the UK, the pitch is one of speed. Users are asked for just four details , their trade, annual turnover, years trading and UK postcode – and the app returns an indicative price in seconds. Those who wish to proceed are routed to the Simply Business website to complete underwriting and purchase a policy in the conventional way.

The company says the integration has been built with the privacy, security and reliability safeguards that brokers are expected to uphold, a point likely to matter to regulators watching the rapid encroachment of generative AI into regulated financial services.

The move is the latest plank in a global technology strategy that has been gathering pace at Simply Business. In October last year, the firm rolled out a hyper-personalised AI advisor in the US, designed to strip friction out of a purchase journey that has long been a source of frustration for time-poor entrepreneurs.

Group chief executive David Summers said the launch was a natural extension of the company’s founding ambition. “In 2005, we set out to change the way small businesses purchase insurance,” he said. “More than two decades later, we have over one million customers worldwide and we are continuing to evolve our capabilities to simplify the way they research and buy insurance. Launching this insurance app in the UK and the US for small businesses in ChatGPT is our latest step in meeting our customers where they are and making the insurance-buying process an easier, better and fairer experience for them.”

Group chief technology officer Dana Edwards argued that the broker was simply following its customers. “Small business owners are already using platforms like ChatGPT to research, plan and make decisions,” she said. “By safely bringing insurance pricing into that environment, we’re removing one more barrier between them and the coverage they need. We designed the app with the safeguards that customers have come to expect, this kind of rapid, responsible innovation is precisely what our global technology platform is built for.”

The launch underscores a broader shift in how UK SMEs are expected to transact with financial services providers. As conversational AI becomes the first port of call for research on everything from tax to staffing, insurers, accountants and lenders are under growing pressure to meet customers inside those platforms rather than waiting for them to arrive on a branded website.

The Simply Business app will appear as a recommendation when ChatGPT users ask questions related to business risk and insurance cover, or it can be summoned directly from the App Directory.

Amy Ingham

Amy is a newly qualified journalist specialising in business journalism at Business Matters with responsibility for news content for what is now the UK’s largest print and online source of current business news.

Q1: 2026-04-22 Earnings Summary

EPS of $0.39 beats by $0.01

 | Revenue of $286.95M (7.87% Y/Y) misses by $3.63M

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Tesla has staged a dramatic comeback in Europe, posting an 84 per cent surge in March sales as electric vehicles cemented their position as a mainstream choice for the continent’s motorists, new industry figures reveal.

The resurgence of Elon Musk’s car maker, which endured a bruising 2025, comes against the backdrop of a broader electric boom across Europe, where zero-emission models now account for more than one in five new registrations. For small and medium-sized businesses operating fleets, the shift marks a turning point in the economics of going electric.

Data from the European Automobile Manufacturers’ Association (ACEA) shows total new car sales across the continent, including non-EU markets, climbed 11 per cent year-on-year in March to 1.42 million units. First-quarter volumes reached 3.52 million, up 4 per cent on the same period in 2025.

Battery-electric vehicles were the standout performer. March sales leapt 41 per cent to 344,000 units, taking the quarterly tally to 723,000, a 36 per cent increase. EVs commanded 24 per cent of the March market and more than 20 per cent across the full quarter.

Tesla’s own March tally rose 84 per cent, albeit against a weak comparator, with quarterly volumes up 45 per cent to 78,300 units. The American marque’s return to growth comes as Chinese rival BYD continues its aggressive European push. The Shenzhen-based manufacturer, which sells both pure-electric and hybrid models, saw its first-quarter deliveries leap more than 150 per cent to 73,800 units, narrowing the gap on Tesla significantly.

The ACEA credited the boom to consumer-friendly fiscal measures. “The market was supported by robust consumer activity bolstered by new and revised tax benefits and incentive schemes across major European countries,” the trade body said. Rising forecourt prices, driven by the ongoing Iran conflict, are also thought to be nudging buyers towards battery power.

For Britain, however, the figures make sobering reading. The UK’s 22.3 per cent electric share has now been overtaken by Germany, where EVs accounted for 22.7 per cent of the first-quarter market. Germany and France have posted electric growth roughly three times the British rate, raising fresh questions about whether Westminster is doing enough to support SME adoption and the charging infrastructure small firms rely on.

Eastern Europe, long regarded as the region the electric revolution forgot, is finally catching up. Poland, the continent’s sixth-largest car market, reported a near 50 per cent rise in EV sales, though penetration remains below 6 per cent. From admittedly low bases, Croatia recorded a 442 per cent jump in March, with Romania up 148 per cent and Slovenia 142 per cent.

Italy and Spain, traditional laggards among the larger Western European economies, also showed signs of life with EV volumes rising 72 per cent and 46 per cent respectively.

The figures will encourage UK SME owners weighing whether to electrify vans and company cars, but they also underscore a widening gulf between British uptake and that of its major European competitors, a gap that policymakers and business leaders will be watching closely in the months ahead.

Amy Ingham

Amy is a newly qualified journalist specialising in business journalism at Business Matters with responsibility for news content for what is now the UK’s largest print and online source of current business news.

Furniture manufacturer Westbridge has entered administration

Nearly 300 workers have lost their jobs at a Welsh furniture firm following its collapse into administration. Westbridge had been a respected furniture designer and manufacturer, providing sofas and other upholstered items to several high street and premium independent retailers.

The company employed just under 300 people at its facility in Holywell, Flintshire. Chris Pole and Will Wright from Interpath were last month appointed joint administrators to Westbridge Furniture Limited and Belfield Leisure Limited, based in Derbyshire.

They had kept the businesses running while evaluating market interest in buying them and preserving the jobs and sites.

However, the joint administrators have now confirmed that 297 staff had been made redundant

They said: “Chris Pole and Will Wright from Interpath were appointed joint administrators following operational disruption, weak trading and the loss of a key customer.

“Since their last update the joint administrators had maintained operations at Westbridge Furniture, while they completed outstanding work in progress and assessed interest in the business.

“Without any viable offers for the business, production ceased on April 2 and the business progressed with a wind-up process. It is with regret that the majority of the business’ 297 remaining staff have since been made redundant.

“The administrators will continue to provide support to those impacted, including supporting them with claims to the Redundancy Payments Service. A small number of staff have been retained to assist the joint administrators in their duties.”

Chris Pole, managing director at Interpath and joint administrator of Westbridge Furniture Limited, said: “The team at Westbridge has shown exceptional professionalism in maintaining production while we explored options.

“Regrettably, as no viable offers for the business were received, it was no longer possible to continue trading and we have had to take the difficult decision to close the business. We recognise this has been a challenging period for staff and I’d like to express my sincere thanks for their commitment.”

The joint administrators have since agreed the sale of the exclusive intellectual property and design rights to the full Westbridge independent product catalogue to sofa and upholstery manufacturer, Whitemeadow. The buyer intends to engage with stockists of Westbridge products to ensure continuity where possible.

Chris Pole added: “The agreement to sell the IP and design rights to Whitemeadow preserves Westbridge’s range for retailers. We wish the Whitemeadow team all the best as it embarks on a development programme to reintroduce those designs to the market.”

The joint administrators are continuing to operate and assess possibilities for Belfield Leisure Limited, which also forms part of The Belfield Group.

Rory Boland, travel editor at consumer publication Which?, says overall cancellations will be a very small proportion of the millions of flights in and out of the UK, and the changes will be targeted on routes where there are multiple flights a day so that passengers can be rebooked on to an earlier or later flight.

Bosses also blasted a “ridiculous tax” levied on the industry

Wine bottling firm Greencroft Bottling has blamed disruption in the Suez Canal for marring what would have been an exceptional year.

The County Durham-based business, which claims to be one of the most sustainable large contract firms of its type “on the planet” said temporary closure of the key waterway in 2024 impacted otherwise brilliant results. Attacks by Houthi Rebels on shipping in the Red Sea caused a drastic reduction in traffic through the canal, which Greencroft says caused “havoc” – leading to millions of pounds of penalties and other costs as huge volumes of wine hit North East ports over a two week period.

Despite the challenges, Greencroft, which is part of the Lanchester Group, managed to increase operating profits from £1.56m to £2.78m in the year to the end of June, 2025. Newly published documents also show turnover at the 300-strong firm increased from £62.5m to £86m.

With a £20m new production facility called Greencroft 2 now completed at its Annfield Plain base, and significant investments in sustainability measures, the firm is now looking ahead to what it expects to be its best ever year. Together with a new semi-automated warehouse, the new production facility – with the potential for 400million litres of capacity annually – is expected to make the company the “most efficient wine bottling and storage operation certainly in the UK if not in Europe”.

Bosses also looked forward to the benefits of bulk wine shipping, which is said to be better for the product and give the business high volumes. The new premises, powered by wind and solar energy, has the potential to handle the equivalent of 28% of all wine sold in the UK.

Writing in the Greencroft Bottling Company Limited accounts, managing director Mark Satchwell said: “Greencroft Bottling Company has had an excellent year with volume increasing by well over 20% which is amazing considering we have had such a turbulent year here in the UK, the new 18,000 an hour filling line in Greencroft 2 has been integrated into the business and working well and we have invested in more automation in our tank facility increasing our efficiency more than 40%.

“We continue to invest in the business with more automation to keep our cost base as low as possible the new Labour Government increased wine duty massively again this year after to huge 20% rise just 12 months ago, this is really harming the whole industry with duty alone moving up by nearly 40% over the last 15 months.

“And we have Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) to contend with yet another ridiculous tax on all businesses, but the liquor and hospitality industries have been the hardest hit it seems and not surprisingly there is at least one pub a day closing which is really harming the local communities.”