H&E Equipment Services Reports Second Quarter 2009 Results

SECOND QUARTER 2009 SUMMARY

-- Revenues decreased 36.2% to $180.2 million versus $282.6 million a year ago.

-- EBITDA decreased 46.5% to $34.6 million, or a 19.2% margin, compared to $64.6 million, or a 22.9% margin, a year ago.

-- Income from operations decreased 75.3% to $8.6 million compared to $34.9 million a year ago.

-- Net income was $0.3 million, or $0.01 per diluted share, compared to $16.1 million, or $0.45 per diluted share. The effective income tax rate in the second quarter of 2009 was 65.1% versus 37.0% a year ago due to the effect of permanent differences on lower pre-tax income.

-- Reduced debt by $23.0 million during the quarter.

"The recession continues to heavily impact our non-residential construction and industrial end-markets," said John Engquist, H&E Equipment Services' president and chief executive officer. "In spite of very weak demand for our products and services, we were able to remain profitable, increase liquidity and strengthen our balance sheet."

"While business conditions did not improve during the second quarter, we are encouraged by some positive signs that we are seeing in the economy," added Engquist. "The banking system appears to have stabilized and credit markets have improved. We are also encouraged by signs of stabilization in the utilization of our rental fleet. I believe we have successfully scaled our business to the current environment and are well positioned to take advantage of the recovery when it begins."

"As a result of our focus on cost containment and cash generation, we reduced our debt by $23 million during the second quarter," commented Leslie Magee, H&E Equipment Services' chief financial officer. "As a result, our liquidity remains strong with $267 million of availability under our senior secured credit facility. For the second consecutive quarter, we reduced rental fleet spending to result in negative net rental cap-ex. Rates continued to be under pressure during the second quarter as our rental rates on new contracts decreased 15.8% from the second quarter of 2008 and 7.5% from the first quarter of 2009. While the current conditions resulted in significant year-over-year declines in revenue and gross profit in all of our major product lines, our parts and service revenues and gross profit again experienced less volatility."

FINANCIAL DISCUSSION FOR SECOND QUARTER 2009

Revenue

Total revenues decreased 36.2% to $180.2 million from $282.6 million in the second quarter of 2008. Equipment rental revenues decreased 33.4% to $50.1 million compared with $75.2 million in the second quarter of 2008. New equipment sales decreased 40.7% to $59.3 million from $100.0 million. Used equipment sales decreased 56.5% to $20.5 million compared to $47.2 million. Parts sales declined 10.0% to $26.3 million from $29.2 million in the second quarter of 2008. Service revenues decreased 12.7% to $15.5 million compared with $17.7 million in the second quarter of 2008.

Gross Profit

Gross profit decreased 44.8% to $44.5 million from $80.6 million in the second quarter of 2008. Gross margin was 24.7% for the quarter ended June 30, 2009 as compared to 28.5% for the quarter ended June 30, 2008. The lower gross margin in the current quarter is primarily due to lower rental gross margins.

On a segment basis, gross margin on rentals decreased to 32.5% from 49.3% in the second quarter of 2008 due to declines in rental rates and lower time utilization combined with an increase in rental and depreciation expense as a percentage of revenues. On average, rental rates declined 15.8% as compared to the second quarter of 2008. Time utilization was 55.3% in the second quarter of 2009 as compared to 67.9% a year ago.

Gross margins on new equipment sales were 12.8%, which were flat in comparison to the second quarter a year ago. Gross margins on used equipment sales decreased to 18.3% from 22.7% a year ago. Gross margins on used equipment sales include margins on the sale of both used inventory and rental fleet. The lower gross margin on total used equipment sales is due primarily to lower margins on the sale of used inventory with margins at 3.7% in 2009 as compared to 11.3% in 2008. Margins on the sale of rental fleet were 23.4% in 2009 as compared to 26.3% a year ago. Gross margin on parts sales decreased to 28.4% from 29.1% last year. Gross margin on service revenues decreased to 63.1% from 64.6% in the second quarter of 2008.

Rental Fleet

At the end of the second quarter of 2009, the original acquisition cost of the Company's rental fleet was $732.9 million, down $70.4 million from $803.3 million at the end of the second quarter of 2008. Dollar utilization was 27.1% compared to 37.5% for the second quarter of 2008. Dollar returns decreased reflecting lower year-over-year average rental rates and lower time utilization as discussed above.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses

SG&A expenses for the second quarter of 2009 were $36.1 million compared with $45.9 million last year, a $9.7 million, or 21.2% decrease. The decrease was primarily attributable to lower wages, incentive pay, benefits and employee-related costs as a result of workforce reductions. For the second quarter of 2009, SG&A expenses increased as a percentage of total revenues to 20.0% as compared with 16.2% last year.

Income from Operations

Income from operations for the second quarter of 2009 decreased 75.3% to $8.6 million, or an operating margin of 4.8%, compared with $34.9 million, or an operating margin of 12.3%, a year ago.

Interest Expense

Interest expense for the second quarter of 2009 decreased $1.5 million to $8.0 million from $9.5 million primarily due to a decrease in average borrowings on the Company's senior secured credit facility and lower floor plan payables.

Net Income

Net income decreased to $0.3 million, or $0.01 per diluted share, from $16.1 million, or $0.45 per diluted share in 2008. The effective income tax rate increased to 65.1% in the second quarter of 2009 as compared to 37.0% last year. The effective income tax rate increased due to the effect of permanent differences on lower pre-tax income in the current period.

EBITDA

EBITDA for the second quarter of 2009 decreased $30.0 million to $34.6 million from $64.6 million in the second quarter of 2008. EBITDA as a percentage of revenues was 19.2% compared with 22.9% in the second quarter of 2008.

Non-GAAP Financial Measures

This press release contains certain Non-GAAP measures (EBITDA). Please refer to our Current Report on Form 8-K for a description of our use of these measures. EBITDA as calculated by the Company is not necessarily comparable to similarly titled measures reported by other companies. Additionally, these Non-GAAP measures are not measurements of financial performance or liquidity under GAAP and should not be considered as alternatives to the Company's other financial information determined under GAAP.

Conference Call

The Company's management will hold a conference call to discuss second quarter results today, August 5, 2009, at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time). To listen to the call, participants should dial 913-981-4902 approximately 10 minutes prior to the start of the call. A telephonic replay will become available after 1:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) on August 5, 2009, and will continue through August 13, 2009, by dialing 719-457-0820 and entering confirmation code 5843498.

The live broadcast of the Company's quarterly conference call will be available online at www.he-equipment.com or www.earnings.com on August 5, 2009, beginning at 10:00 a.m. (Eastern Time) and will continue to be available for 30 days. Related presentation materials will be posted to the "Investor Relations" section of the Company's web site at www.he-equipment.com prior to the call. The presentation materials will be in Adobe Acrobat format.

About H&E Equipment Services, Inc.

The Company is one of the largest integrated equipment services companies in the United States with 62 full-service facilities throughout the West Coast, Intermountain, Southwest, Gulf Coast, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast regions of the United States. The Company is focused on heavy construction and industrial equipment and rents, sells and provides parts and service support for four core categories of specialized equipment: (1) hi-lift or aerial platform equipment; (2) cranes; (3) earthmoving equipment; and (4) industrial lift trucks. By providing equipment rental, sales, and on-site parts, repair and maintenance functions under one roof, the Company is a one-stop provider for its customers' varied equipment needs. This full service approach provides the Company with multiple points of customer contact, enabling it to maintain a high quality rental fleet, as well as an effective distribution channel for fleet disposal and provides cross-selling opportunities among its new and used equipment sales, rental, parts sales and service operations.

Forward-Looking Statements

Certain statements in this press release are "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Statements about our beliefs and expectations and statements containing the words "may," "could," "would," "should," "believe," "expect," "anticipate," "plan," "estimate," "target," "project," "intend" and similar expressions constitute forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results that differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the following: (1) general economic conditions and construction activity in the markets where we operate in North America as well as the impact of the current macroeconomic downturn and current conditions of the global credit markets and its effect on construction activity and the economy in general; (2) relationships with new equipment suppliers; (3) increased maintenance and repair costs as we age our fleet and decreases in our equipments' residual value; (4) our indebtedness; (5) the risks associated with the expansion of our business; (6) our possible inability to effectively integrate any businesses we acquire; (7) competitive pressures; (8) compliance with laws and regulations, including those relating to environmental matters; and (9) other factors discussed in our public filings, including the risk factors included in the Company's most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K. Investors, potential investors and other readers are urged to consider these factors carefully in evaluating the forward-looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward-looking statements. Except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States and the rules and regulations of the SEC, we are under no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after the date of this release.

H&E EQUIPMENT SERVICES, INC.
CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF INCOME (unaudited)
(Amounts in thousands, except per share amounts)
                                                                 Three Months Ended              Six Months Ended
                                                                 June 30,                        June 30,
                                                                 2009            2008            2009            2008
Revenues:
Equipment rentals                                                $  50,077       $  75,234       $  105,561      $  146,445
New equipment sales                                                 59,268          99,985          123,325         176,338
Used equipment sales                                                20,463          47,152          36,556          88,563
Parts sales                                                         26,335          29,247          52,358          58,161
Service revenues                                                    15,482          17,730          30,939          34,318
Other                                                               8,616           13,296          17,698          24,585
Total revenues                                                      180,241         282,644         366,437         528,410
Cost of revenues:
Rental depreciation                                                 22,899          26,048          46,684          52,476
Rental expense                                                      10,902          12,130          22,232          23,946
New equipment sales                                                 51,655          87,164          106,970         152,710
Used equipment sales                                                16,725          36,463          29,413          67,382
Parts sales                                                         18,865          20,740          37,387          41,006
Service revenues                                                    5,710           6,283           11,413          12,424
Other                                                               8,979           13,253          17,552          25,179
Total cost of revenues                                              135,735         202,081         271,651         375,123
Gross profit                                                        44,506          80,563          94,786          153,287
Selling, general, and administrative expenses                       36,122          45,857          75,269          92,541
Gain on sales of property and equipment                             201             157             183             296
Income from operations                                              8,585           34,863          19,700          61,042
Interest expense                                                    (8,011  )       (9,531  )       (16,192 )       (19,698 )
Other income, net                                                   180             265             395             481
Income before provision for income taxes                            754             25,597          3,903           41,825
Provision for Income taxes                                          491             9,479           1,462           15,498
Net income                                                       $  263          $  16,118       $  2,441        $  26,327
EARNINGS PER SHARE
Basic - Earnings per share                                       $  0.01         $  0.45         $  0.07         $  0.72
Basic - Weighted average number of common shares outstanding        34,596          35,986          34,588          36,335
Diluted - Earnings per share                                     $  0.01         $  0.45         $  0.07         $  0.72
Diluted - Weighted average number of common shares outstanding      34,596          35,988          34,595          36,339

H&E EQUIPMENT SERVICES, INC.
SELECTED BALANCE SHEET DATA (unaudited)
(Amounts in thousands)
                                                          June 30,       December 31,
                                                          2009           2008
Cash                                                      $    8,868     $      11,266
Rental equipment, net                                          497,402          554,457
Total assets                                                   853,520          966,634
Total debt(1)                                                  299,167          330,584
Total liabilities                                              560,560          676,427
Stockholders' equity                                           292,960          290,207
Total liabilities and stockholders' equity                $    853,520   $      966,634
(1) Total debt consists of the aggregate amounts
outstanding on the senior secured credit facility, senior
unsecured notes, capital lease obligation and notes payable
obligations.
H&E EQUIPMENT SERVICES, INC.
UNAUDITED RECONCILIATION OF NON-GAAP FINANCIAL MEASURES
(Amounts in thousands)
                              Three Months Ended          Six Months Ended
                              June 30,                    June 30,
                              2009          2008          2009           2008
Net income                    $    263      $    16,118   $    2,441     $      26,327
Interest expense                   8,011         9,531         16,192           19,698
Provision for income taxes         491           9,479         1,462            15,498
Depreciation                       25,656        28,765        52,236           58,014
Amortization of intangibles        148           754           296              1,467
EBITDA                        $    34,569   $    64,647   $    72,627    $      121,004

SOURCE: H&E Equipment Services, Inc.

H&E Equipment Services, Inc. 
Leslie S. Magee, 225-298-5261 
Chief Financial Officer 
lmagee@he-equipment.com 
or 
Corporate Communications, Inc. 
Kevin S. Inda, 407-566-1180 
kevin.Inda@cci-ir.com