Posted: June 29th, 2022

This case was prepared by Senior Lecturer Christopher Noe, Lauren Pully

This case was prepared by Senior Lecturer Christopher Noe, Lauren Pully, MBA 2015, and Cate Reavis, Associate Director,
Curriculum Development.
Copyright © 2015, Christopher Noe, Lauren Pully, and Cate Reavis. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons
Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license visit
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/ or send a letter to Creative Commons, 171 Second Street, Suite 300, San
Francisco, California 94105, USA.
15-164
Revised March 27, 2018
Hertz Global Holdings, Inc.
Christopher Noe, Lauren Pully, and Cate Reavis
In the June 7-8, 2014 weekend edition of The Wall Street Journal, an article entitled “Accounting Errors
Hit Hertz Hard” caught auto industry analyst Abby Devins’s attention. Devins recalled that Hertz had
hinted in March about the possibility of having to restate its 2011 financial statements, but by June the
situation appeared worse than previously anticipated. “Hertz Global Holdings, Inc.,” read the article,
“would have to restate and correct results from the past three years, according to a regulatory filing
Friday that indicated more widespread accounting problems at the auto-rental company than had been
thought.”1 The article also mentioned that Hertz’s stock had closed down about 9% in Friday’s trading.
Keenly aware that car rental companies like Hertz provided a significant source of steady demand for
automotive manufacturers, Devins was curious whether Hertz’s accounting issues could be related in
some way to its large rental fleet and what impact this might have on the company’s future vehicle
acquisition plans.
Car Rental Industry
As of 2013, the U.S. car rental industry totaled approximately $36 billion in revenue, which was divided
between leisure travelers, business travelers, and leasing, with rentals taking place both at airport and
off-airport locations (Exhibit 1). Since the majority of car rental demand came from leisure and
business travel, the industry suffered during the 2008-09 recession, with revenue growth plummeting
into negative territory (Exhibit 2). Revenue growth resumed, however, as the subsequent economic
recovery began to take hold.
1 Michael Calia, “Accounting Errors Hit Hertz Hard,” The Wall Street Journal, June 7-8, 2014.
HERTZ GLOBAL HOLDINGS, INC.
Christopher Noe, Lauren Pully, and Cate Reavis
Rev. March 27, 2018 2
Due to a wave of consolidations, three companies dominated the market with a combined 71% market
share — Enterprise Holdings (Enterprise, National, and Alamo brands); Avis Budget Group (Avis,
Budget, and Payless brands); and Hertz Global Holdings (Hertz, Dollar, and Thrifty brands).2
Company Background
History
Hertz’s beginnings trace back to 1918 when 22-year old Walter L. Jacobs launched Rent-a-Car, Inc. in
Chicago, Illinois, with a dozen Model T Fords that he repaired and painted himself. After having
generated $1 million in revenue over five years, Jacobs sold his company to John D. Hertz who renamed
the company in his name and made it a subsidiary of his Yellow Truck and Coach Manufacturing
Company.
Over the next century, Hertz changed hands several times and was owned on separate occasions by
both General Motors and the Ford Motor Company. In 2005, Hertz was acquired by a trio of private
equity investment companies, which then took the company public in 2006. See Exhibit 3 for a
corporate timeline.
At of the end of 2013, with over 30,000 employees, Hertz had almost 12,000 worldwide car rental
locations, spanning 145 countries, and a rental fleet topping 700,000 cars (524,000 in the U.S. and
179,500 internationally).3
Operations and Financial Performance
After going public in 2006, Hertz grew from a single brand with an on-airport focus on business
travelers to a multi-brand operation.4 The company acquired the $1.5 billion annual revenue business
of Dollar Thrifty in November 2012. Hertz’s addition of the rental brands Dollar Rent A Car and Thrifty
Car created an immediate leadership position in the budget-friendly leisure market. In 2013, Hertz
launched a deep value brand, Firefly, focused on price conscious leisure travelers. That same year,
Hertz expanded into the Chinese car rental market by acquiring a 20% stake in China Auto Rental, the
largest car rental company in China. U.S. and international car rental revenue in 2013 totaled $6.3
billion and $2.4 billion, respectively (Exhibit 4).
Through its Donlen subsidiary, acquired in September 2011, Hertz provided a comprehensive array of
commercial fleet leasing and management services. Donlen leased car and light- to medium-truck
fleets, generally with a minimum 12-month lease term. It also provided additional services during
leases, including fuel purchasing and management, preventative maintenance, repair consultation,
accident management, and telematics-based location and driver performance reporting. Hertz also
2 Zachary Harris, “IBISWorld Industry Report – Car Rental in the US,” February 2015.
3 Hertz Global Holdings, Inc., 2013 Annual Report.
4 Details of Hertz’s operations from Hertz Global Holdings, Inc., 2013 Annual Report.
HERTZ GLOBAL HOLDINGS, INC.
Christopher Noe, Lauren Pully, and Cate Reavis
Rev. March 27, 2018 3
operated an industrial and construction equipment rental business. Exhibit 5 provides a breakdown of
Hertz’s 2013 revenue by business segment.
Hertz stock more or less mirrored the S&P 500 Index from the end of 2006 until the summer of 2012
when it began to outperform the broader market (Exhibit 6). The pattern of Hertz’s earnings closely
tracked its stock price (Exhibit 7). Company earnings rose between 2006 and 2007 but turned sharply
negative with the 2008 financial crisis as both business and leisure travel slowed. During the ensuing
economic recovery, Hertz’s earnings rebounded, once again entering positive territory in 2011. The
company reported record revenue and EBITDA for 2013.5 Mark Frissora, Hertz Chairman and CEO,
commented on the company’s strong 2013 financial performance on an earnings call with analysts and
investors: “We continue to successfully drive both record revenue and earnings growth by leveraging
industry leading rental car brands, capitalizing on strategic acquisitions, penetrating new markets in
equipment rental, and being relentless on efficiency programs and cost management.”6
Hertz’s 2013 10-K indicated that the company had increased revenue by roughly 30% and more than
doubled net income to common shareholders since 2011. Over this same three-year period, depreciation
averaged around 25% of total expenses. See Exhibit 8 for Hertz’s 2013 income statement. The
relatively high level of depreciation was consistent with the capital intensive nature of Hertz’s
operations. The company’s largest asset in 2012 and 2013 was revenue earning equipment (i.e., cars
and trucks), which comprised in excess of 50% of total assets in both years. See Exhibit 9 for Hertz’s
2013 balance sheet.
Calculating Depreciation
Once an asset like equipment is recorded on the balance sheet, its cost must be transferred over time
from the balance sheet to the income statement and reported as an expense. This process is referred to
as depreciation. Managers have a certain amount of discretion in recording depreciation expense
because of the assumptions that underlie the calculations.
Two estimates are required to compute the amount of depreciation expense for each accounting period:
1. Useful life is the period of time over which an asset is expected to provide economic
benefits to a company, which need not correspond to its physical life.
2. Residual or salvage value is the expected value of an asset at the end of its useful life.
The depreciable base is computed by subtracting the residual value from an asset’s acquisition cost.
This amount is then depreciated over an asset’s useful life. The most common way for allocating
depreciation over an asset’s useful life is the straight-line method. Exhibit 10 provides an example of
5 “Hertz Report Fourth Quarter and Full Year 2013 Results,” Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. Press Release, March 18, 2014.
6 Q4 2013 Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. Earnings Conference Call, March 18, 2014.
HERTZ GLOBAL HOLDINGS, INC.
Christopher Noe, Lauren Pully, and Cate Reavis
Rev. March 27, 2018 4
depreciation of an automobile with a $50,000 acquisition cost, a $10,000 residual value, and a 5-year
useful life.
The amount of annual depreciation expense for the automobile in this example is $8,000. As this
example also shows, when depreciation is recognized as an expense on the income statement, which
has the effect of reducing retained earnings on the balance sheet, the book value of the corresponding
asset is reduced by an equal amount with a balancing entry in accumulated depreciation, a contra asset
account associated with PP&E.
When an asset is disposed of, any difference between its sale price and net book value is recognized on
the income statement as a gain/loss on sale. In the above example, a loss on sale of $2,500 would result
if the automobile were sold at the end of Year 5 for $7,500, which reflects the fact that its sales price
($7,500) is lower than its net book value ($10,000) at that time.
Depreciation of Rental Fleet
Hertz’s 2013 financial statements included a footnote disclosure that described how the company
accounted for depreciation of revenue earning equipment:
Generally, when revenue earning equipment is acquired, we estimate the period that we will
hold the asset, primarily based on historical measures of the amount of rental activity (e.g.,
automobile mileage and equipment usage) and the targeted age of equipment at the time of
disposal. We also estimate the residual value of the applicable revenue earning equipment at
the expected time of disposal. The residual values for rental vehicles are affected by many
factors, including make, model and options, age, physical condition, mileage, sale location,
time of the year and channel of disposition (e.g., auction, retail, dealer direct). The residual
value for rental equipment is affected by factors which include equipment age and amount of
usage.
Depreciation is recorded on a straight-line basis over the estimated holding period.
Depreciation rates are reviewed on a quarterly basis based on management’s ongoing
assessment of present and estimated future market conditions, their effect on residual values at
the time of disposal and the estimated holding periods. Market conditions for used vehicle and
equipment sales can also be affected by external factors such as the economy, natural disasters,
fuel prices and incentives offered by manufacturers of new cars. These key factors are
considered when estimating future residual values and assessing depreciation rates. As a result
of this ongoing assessment, we make periodic adjustments to depreciation rates of revenue
earning equipment in response to changing market conditions.7
7 Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. 10-K, December 31, 2013.
HERTZ GLOBAL HOLDINGS, INC.
Christopher Noe, Lauren Pully, and Cate Reavis
Rev. March 27, 2018 5
U.S. GAAP also required Hertz to disclose useful life estimates for its major asset classes. Exhibit 11
provides this information for each year between 2006-13.
Hertz’s car rental fleet comprised program and non-program cars. Program cars were purchased by
rental car companies under repurchase or guaranteed depreciation programs. Under these programs,
automotive manufacturers agreed to repurchase cars at a specified price or guarantee the depreciation
rate on cars during a specified time period. Non-program cars, in contrast, were subject to residual price
risk at the time of disposal. Exhibit 12 shows Hertz’s program cars purchased as a percentage of total
cars purchased for each year between 2006-13 by the U.S. and international operations. Exhibit 13
provides summary data on used car market pricing trends.
Data Collection
To begin her analysis, Devins pulled together Hertz’s revenue earning equipment balances and
associated depreciation expense amounts between 2006-13, doing the same for Avis Budget Group,
Hertz’s main publicly-traded competitor, for comparison purposes (Exhibit 14). As she was putting the
finishing touches on her spreadsheet, Devins contemplated what significance, if any, depreciation
would ultimately have in Hertz’s larger than previously announced accounting issues.
HERTZ GLOBAL HOLDINGS, INC.
Christopher Noe, Lauren Pully, and Cate Reavis
Rev. March 27, 2018 6
Exhibit 1 U.S. Car Rental Demand by Purpose and Location
Source: Andy Brennan, “IBISWorld Industry Report – Car Rental in the US,” February 2014.
Exhibit 2 Revenue and Growth Trends in U.S. Car Rental Industry
Source: Andy Brennan, “IBISWorld Industry Report – Car Rental in the US,” February 2014.
-8
-6
-4
-2
0
2
4
6
8
25,000
27,500
30,000
32,500
35,000
37,500
40,000
2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Revenue ($ Millions) % Growth
Leisure
43%
Business
35%
Leasing
20%
Car Sharing
2%
Airport –
Leisure
35%
Airport –
Business
30%
Off-Airport
35%
HERTZ GLOBAL HOLDINGS, INC.
Christopher Noe, Lauren Pully, and Cate Reavis
Rev. March 27, 2018 7
Exhibit 3 Hertz Timeline8
1918 Rent-a-Car, Inc. founded by Walter L. Jacobs
1923 Jacobs sold company to John D. Hertz, President of Yellow Cab and Yellow Truck and
Coach Manufacturing Company, who renamed business Hertz Drive-Ur-Self System;
Jacobs stayed on to run car rental operations
1926 Yellow Truck sold to General Motors
1953 Omnibus Corporation purchased Hertz from GM and took company public one year later;
Jacobs became Hertz’s first President and served in that position until his retirement in
1960
1975 O.J. Simpson helped bring Hertz name to American households through advertising
campaign that had him running through airport and leaping over counters9
1994 Hertz became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Ford Motor Company
2005 Three private equity investment companies, Clayton, Dubilier & Rice, The Carlyle Group,
and Merrill Lynch Global Private Equity, purchased Hertz from Ford
2006 Hertz taken public for second time10
Exhibit 4 Hertz Globing Holdings, Inc. Car Rental Revenue ($ Millions)
2011 2012 2013
U.S. Car Rental 4,468.9 4,893.2 6,324.4
International Car Rental 2,471.9 2,268.5 2,382.5
Total Car Rental 6,940.8 7,161.7 8,706.9
Source: Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. 10-K, December 31, 2013.
8 https://www.hertz.com/rentacar/abouthertz/index.jsp?targetPage=CorporateProfile.jsp&c=aboutHertzHistoryView (accessed May 2015).
9 “Q&A with Stuart Elliott,” The New York Times, August 25, 2008.
10 http://www.nasdaq.com/markets/ipos/company/hertz-global-holdings-inc-710494-50741 (accessed May 2015).
HERTZ GLOBAL HOLDINGS, INC.
Christopher Noe, Lauren Pully, and Cate Reavis
Rev. March 27, 2018 8
Exhibit 5 Hertz Globing Holdings, Inc. Breakdown of 2013 Revenue by Business Segment
Source: Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. 10-K, December 31, 2013.
Exhibit 6 Hertz Globing Holdings, Inc. Stock Performance
Source: Center for Research in Security Prices.
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
35
11/16/2006 04/25/2008 09/29/2009 03/04/2011 08/07/2012 01/14/2014
$ Price
HTZ S&P 500
U.S. Car
Rental
59%
Int’l Car
Rental
22%
Equip.
Rental
14%
Other
5%
HERTZ GLOBAL HOLDINGS, INC.
Christopher Noe, Lauren Pully, and Cate Reavis
Rev. March 27, 2018 9
Exhibit 7 Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. Earnings Performance
Source: Compustat.
Exhibit 8 Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. 2013 Income Statement ($ Millions)
Year Ended December 31,
2011 2012 2013
Revenues:
Worldwide car rental 6,940.8 7,161.7 8,706.9
Worldwide equipment rental 1,209.5 1,385.4 1,538.0
All other operations 149.0 477.8 527.0
Total revenues 8,299.3 9,024.9 10,771.9
Expenses:
Direct operating 4,573.1 4,806.0 5,752.0
Depreciation of revenue earning equipment and lease charges 1,896.2 2,128.9 2,525.5
Selling, general and administrative 767.7 968.1 1,022.2
Interest expense 699.7 649.9 716.0
Interest income (5.5) (4.9) (11.6)
Other (income) expense, net 62.5 35.5 104.7
Total expenses 7,993.7 8,583.5 10,108.8
Income before income taxes 305.6 441.4 663.1
(Provision) benefit for taxes on income (loss) (121.8) (202.8) (316.9)
Net income (loss) 183.8 238.6 346.2
Less: Net income attributable to noncontrolling interest (19.6) 0.0 0.0
Net income attributable to Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. 164.2 238.6 346.2
Source: Hertz Global Holdings, Inc 10-K, December 31, 2013.
0.48
0.82
-3.74
-0.34 -0.12
0.42 0.58 0.82
-5.00
-4.00
-3.00
-2.00
-1.00
0.00
1.00
2.00
2006 2007 2011 2012 2013
EPS $
2008 2009 2010
HERTZ GLOBAL HOLDINGS, INC.
Christopher Noe, Lauren Pully, and Cate Reavis
Rev. March 27, 2018 10
Exhibit 9 Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. 2013 Balance Sheet ($ Millions)
December 31,
2012
December 31,
2013
ASSETS
Cash and cash equivalents 545.5 423.2
Restricted cash and cash equivalents 551.6 859.9
Receivables, less allowance for doubtful accounts of $30.8 and $29.3 1,879.6 1,512.6
Inventories, at lower of cost or market 105.7 92.3
Prepaid expenses and other assets 489.3 717.2
Revenue earning equipment, at cost:
Cars 12,548.8 14,456.6
Less accumulated depreciation (1,850.4) (2,679.6)
Other equipment 3,240.1 3,512.2
Less accumulated depreciation (1,041.9) (1,095.8)
Total revenue earning equipment 12,896.6 14,193.4
Property and equipment, at cost:
Land, buildings and leasehold improvements 1,288.8 1,362.1
Service equipment and other 1,261.1 1,257.0
Less accumulated depreciation (1,113.5) (1,104.8)
Total property and equipment 1,436.4 1,514.3
Other intangible assets, net 4,030.2 3,928.0
Goodwill 1,329.3 1,347.5
Total assets 23,264.3 24,588.2
LIABILITIES AND EQUITY
Accounts payable 1,003.2 967.9
Accrued liabilities 1,163.1 1,104.7
Accrued taxes 144.6 140.4
Debt 15,448.6 16,309.4
Public liability and property damage 332.2 347.7
Deferred taxes on income 2,686.4 2,947.1
Total liabilities 20,778.1 21,817.2
Equity:
Common stock 4.2 4.5
Additional paid in capital 3,233.9 3,225.9
Accumulated deficit (725.0) (378.8)
Accumulated other comprehensive loss (26.9) 7.1
Treasury stock 0.0 (87.5)
Total equity 2,486.2 2,771.2
Total liabilities and equity 23,264.3 24,588.2
Source: Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. 10-K, December 31, 2013.
HERTZ GLOBAL HOLDINGS, INC.
Christopher Noe, Lauren Pully, and Cate Reavis
Rev. March 27, 2018 11
Exhibit 10 Depreciation Example
PP&E,
Gross
Accumulated
Depreciation
PP&E,
Net
Depreciation
Expense
Year 1 50,000 8,000 42,000 8,000 = (50,000 – 10,000) / 5 years
Year 2 50,000 16,000 34,000 8,000
Year 3 50,000 24,000 26,000 8,000
Year 4 50,000 32,000 18,000 8,000
Year 5 50,000 40,000 10,000 8,000
Exhibit 11 Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. Useful Life Estimates
Cars
Other
Equipment
2006
5 to 16
months
24 to 108
months
2007
5 to 16
months
24 to 108
months
2008
5 to 16
months
24 to 108
months
2009
4 to 24
months
24 to 108
months
2010
4 to 26
months
24 to 108
months
2011
4 to 26
months
24 to 108
months
2012
4 to 28
months
24 to 108
months
2013
4 to 36
months
24 to 108
months
Source: Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. 2007-13 10-Ks.
HERTZ GLOBAL HOLDINGS, INC.
Christopher Noe, Lauren Pully, and Cate Reavis
Rev. March 27, 2018 12
Exhibit 12 Hertz Globing Holdings, Inc. Program Cars Purchased as Percentage of Total Cars
Purchased
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
U.S. 61% 42% 55% 48% 54% 45% 19% 18%
International 71% 65% 59% 57% 56% 55% 53% 57%
Source: Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. 2007-13 10-Ks.
Exhibit 13 Manheim Consulting Used Vehicle Value Index
Source: http://www.manheim.com/services/consulting?WT.svl=m_hdr_mnav_services_consulting#monthlyIndex (accessed
May 2015).
90
95
100
105
110
115
120
125
130
Jan-95 Jan-97 Jan-99 Jan-01 Jan-03 Jan-05 Jan-07 Jan-09 Jan-11 Jan-13
January 1995 = 100
HERTZ GLOBAL HOLDINGS, INC.
Christopher Noe, Lauren Pully, and Cate Reavis
Rev. March 27, 2018 13
Exhibit 14 Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. and Avis Budget Group, Inc. Revenue Earning Equipment Data ($ Millions)
2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Hertz Global Holdings, Inc.
Revenue Earning Equipment, Gross 10,876 11,681 10,344 10,788 11,191 12,509 15,789 17,969
Depreciation Expense for Revenue Earning Equipment 1,762 1,906 2,020 1,780 1,747 1,912 2,146 2,408
Gain/Loss on Sale of Revenue Earning Equipment 36 -21 -83 -72 -43 112 97 -37
Income before Taxes 241 389 -1,383 -150 32 306 441 663
Avis Budget Group, Inc.
Revenue Earning Equipment, Gross 8,042 8,496 8,383 6,912 7,557 9,614 10,619 10,993
Depreciation Expense for Revenue Earning Equipment 1,362 1,565 1,639 1,391 1,277 1,395 1,438 1,678
Gain/Loss on Sale of Revenue Earning Equipment 0 40 -7 30 24 234 97 6
Income before Taxes -677 -992 -1,343 -77 72 36 300 97
Source: Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. 2007-13 10-Ks; Avis Budget Group, Inc. 2007-13 10Ks.
HERTZ GLOBAL HOLDINGS, INC.
Christopher Noe, Lauren Pully, and Cate Reavis
Rev. March 27, 2018 14

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