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Hertz Global Holdings, Inc.: Q1 FY2026 earnings call

What management said about Q1 FY2026, from the documents filed with the SEC on 7 May 2026: press release. Guidance figures: 3 kept. The quarter’s numbers.

Key takeaways

  • Revenue rose 11% year over year: Revenue was $2,004 million against $1,813 million a year earlier. The company attributes the growth to continued progress in its commercial strategies. Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA improved nearly 50%: Adjusted Corporate EBITDA was $(161) million against $(302) million a year earlier. Management said the figure includes a negative impact of over $25 million from vehicle recalls. Source
  • Utilization dipped on recalls: Utilization was 79%, down 70 basis points year over year. Excluding elevated recalls, utilization was up 140 basis points against the first quarter of 2025. Source
  • Operating expense per day rose 3%: DOE per Transaction Day rose 3%, to $38.52. Adjusted DOE per day improved about 2% after normalizing for higher RPD-related variable costs and other items. Source
  • Recall activity rose sharply: Recall activity rose sharply year over year. Management attributed the utilization, transaction day and revenue effects in the quarter to recalls. Source
  • Oro Mobility launched: Hertz launched Oro Mobility to provide fleet management for driver-led and autonomous mobility, drawing on Hertz fleet and facility expertise. Source

“The transformation of Hertz continues to build sustained momentum,”

Gil West, Chief Executive Officer of Hertz

Guidance

AreaPeriodFigureAgainst last quarter
Depreciation per unit per month (DPU) SourceNorth Star targetsub $300Kept
Revenue per unit per month (RPU) SourceNorth Star targetover $1,500Kept
Direct operating expense per transaction day (DOE) SourceNorth Star targetlow $30sKept

What changed from last quarter

  • New: Hertz launched Oro Mobility, an affiliated operating company providing driver-led and autonomous fleet management. The prior release did not name it. Source
  • New: Hertz Car Sales announced a partnership with eBay to sell Hertz Certified, near-new vehicles through the online marketplace. Source
  • New: Hertz launched an advanced fleet planning engine in its Rent-a-Car business. Source
  • New: Adjusted Net Income (Loss) and Adjusted Corporate EBITDA definitions were revised from the first quarter of 2026, with prior periods recast. Source
  • New: Average Vehicles is now a daily average rather than a simple average of beginning and end-of-period counts, with prior periods recast. Source

Results and growth drivers

  • Revenue rose 11% year over year: Revenue was $2,004 million against $1,813 million a year earlier. The company attributes the growth to continued progress in its commercial strategies. Source
  • Revenue per day rose 5.5%: Revenue per day (RPD) rose 5.5%, which management described as its largest year-over-year improvement since 2022. RPU and RPD continued to improve sequentially. Source
  • Net loss narrowed to $333 million: GAAP net loss was $333 million, against a $443 million loss a year earlier. Adjusted net loss was $224 million, and adjusted diluted EPS was $(0.72). Source
  • Adjusted EBITDA improved nearly 50%: Adjusted Corporate EBITDA was $(161) million against $(302) million a year earlier. Management said the figure includes a negative impact of over $25 million from vehicle recalls. Source

Segments and regions

  • Americas RAC loss narrowed sharply: Americas RAC revenue rose 9% to $1,628 million. Its Adjusted EBITDA was $(103) million against $(235) million, with Transaction Days up 3% and RPD up 6%. Source
  • International revenue rose 16%: International RAC revenue was $376 million against $323 million. Its Adjusted EBITDA was $(2) million against $(10) million, and Transaction Days rose 3%. Source
  • International DOE per day rose 13%: International DOE per Transaction Day was $38.22 against $33.69 a year earlier. On an adjusted basis the increase was 3%, to $38.22 from $37.11. Source

“The launch of Oro Mobility marks an important milestone in the expansion of the Hertz growth platform.”

Gil West, Chief Executive Officer of Hertz

Fleet, utilization and depreciation

  • Utilization dipped on recalls: Utilization was 79%, down 70 basis points year over year. Excluding elevated recalls, utilization was up 140 basis points against the first quarter of 2025. Source
  • Depreciation per unit fell 13%: Depreciation per unit per month was $312 against $358 a year earlier. Management described the level as approaching its North Star target, supported by fleet rotation. Source
  • Used car market improved after February: The used car market was in its seasonal trough through February. Management said it has improved considerably since then. Source
  • Fleet youngest in nearly a decade: Management said the Buy Right, Hold Right, Sell Right strategy produced sequential improvements and the youngest fleet in nearly a decade. Source

Costs and operating expense

  • Operating expense per day rose 3%: DOE per Transaction Day rose 3%, to $38.52. Adjusted DOE per day improved about 2% after normalizing for higher RPD-related variable costs and other items. Source
  • Damages costs offset by revenue: Management said higher damages costs are recovered through revenue and are EBITDA neutral, and higher RPD-related variable costs are EBITDA accretive. Source
  • Real estate costs rose after sale-leasebacks: Management cited higher real estate costs after sale leaseback transactions executed last year as one of the items it normalized in adjusted DOE. Source

“Hertz’s first quarter performance underscores that its transformation is driving tangible results.”

Hertz Global Holdings, Inc., press release

Recalls and their effect

  • Recall activity rose sharply: Recall activity rose sharply year over year. Management attributed the utilization, transaction day and revenue effects in the quarter to recalls. Source
  • Fleet redeployed to high-demand markets: Management said it is managing recalls by moving available fleet, working with OEMs and government officials, and keeping rentable fleet utilized through capacity planning. Source
  • Recalls called transitory headwind: Management described recalls as a transitory headwind that has not stopped structural progress in the underlying business. Source

Platform, Mobility and fleet channels

  • Oro Mobility launched: Hertz launched Oro Mobility to provide fleet management for driver-led and autonomous mobility, drawing on Hertz fleet and facility expertise. Source
  • Uber named as Oro partner: Oro named Uber as a major partner across autonomous and driver-led operations, extending a long-standing rideshare rental partnership. Source
  • EBay adds online retail channel: Hertz Car Sales announced a partnership with eBay to put its near-new, certified inventory in front of online customers. Source
  • Fleet planning engine expected to help: The new fleet planning engine in Rent-a-Car is expected by the company to have positive effects across the business. Source
  • Platform built beyond rental: Management said the transformation has two goals: improving core operations and building a diversified platform for growth across four strategic areas. Source

Capital, cash and liquidity

  • Liquidity near $837 million: Liquidity was about $837 million at quarter end. In April the company completed additional financing that added about $200 million. Source
  • Adjusted free cash flow negative: Adjusted free cash flow was $(466) million against $(578) million a year earlier. Net fleet growth after financing was $(285) million. Source
  • Net debt rose to $17.3 billion: Total net debt was $17,274 million at March 31, 2026, against $16,208 million at December 31, 2025. Net corporate leverage is shown as not meaningful. Source

Customers and brand

  • Brand recognition and satisfaction awards: Management cited Hertz as the only car rental brand on USA Today's 2026 Most Trusted Brands list and the highest year-over-year improvement on a Business Travel News survey. Source
  • Record satisfaction in Europe: The Net Promoter score rose consistently across the business, and management said it measured record satisfaction in Europe in the first quarter. Source
  • Systemic improvements across customer touchpoints: Management said it is making systemic improvements across every customer touchpoint to enhance the rental experience. Source

Coming up, as management said on 7 May 2026

  • Fleet planning gains expected: Management expects the new fleet planning engine in Rent-a-Car to deliver positive impacts across the business. No date was given. Source
  • Customer experience work continues: Management said it continues to drive improvements in customer experience across the business. No date was given. Source

Figures management reported

FigureReported
Transaction Days (thousands) Source34,893
Average Vehicles (units) Source514,163
Average Rentable Vehicles (units) Source493,359
Vehicle Utilization Source79%
Total RPD (dollars) Source$57.38
Total RPU per month (dollars) Source$1,353
Depreciation per unit per month (dollars) Source$312
DOE per transaction day (dollars) Source$38.52

Risks management discussed

  • Operational: Recalls raised activity sharply, reducing utilization and transaction days and creating revenue effects management says it is working to manage. Source
  • External: Used car market conditions were in a seasonal trough through February, which bears on residual values and fleet disposal prices. Source

Earlier plans management reported on

  • Not stated: The prior release expected a mid-single digit increase in first-quarter revenue. This release reports the result in its revenue discussion without restating the expectation.
  • Not stated: Management described depreciation per unit as approaching its North Star DPU target, without stating a status against the target date. Source

Other quarters

Summarised with AI from the documents the company filed with the SEC. Every point is checked against the filing before it is shown: management’s own words word for word, figures against the line or table row they come from. A point that fails the check is left out. Source opens the filing at that line.