If your investment portfolio still includes any kind of travel company in it, I’m sorry for you. The global pandemic, and the shelter in place orders that have sprung from it, have destroyed every kind of travel and tourism venture. Hertz appears to be the first major domino to fall, having recently filed for bankruptcy protection, while declaring a fire sale on some of their more desirable rentals.
Things couldn’t be worse for Hertz right now. It has furloughed or laid off 20,000 employees, half of its global workforce, due to the pandemic. It’s CEO has resigned. While operations have not been affected globally, it has decided to file for bankruptcy protection to restructure its debts, which began piling up as services like Uber and Lyft chewed into their business over the past few years.
“The impact of Covid-19 on travel demand was sudden and dramatic, causing an abrupt decline in the company’s revenue and future bookings,” Hertz said on May 23. That decline forced the rental company to take “immediate actions to prioritize the health and safety of employees and customers, eliminate all non-essential spending and preserve liquidity.”
Most of the market could see this coming. Hertz had a year to date high share price of $20.85 before the pandemic hit full force, but quickly slid down to $3.38 by March 18. It’s now trading at roughly $2.80.