H&E Equipment Services, Inc. - Annual Report: 2020 (Form 10-K)

UNITED STATES

SECURITIES AND EXCHANGE COMMISSION

Washington, D. C. 20549

FORM 10-K

(Mark One)

For the fiscal year ended December 31, 2020

or

For the transition period from                      to                     

Commission file number 000-51759

H&E EQUIPMENT SERVICES, INC.

(Exact Name of Registrant as Specified in Its Charter)

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(b) of the Act:

Securities registered pursuant to Section 12(g) of the Act: None

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is a well-known seasoned issuer, as defined in Rule 405 of the Securities Act.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark if the registrant is not required to file reports pursuant to Section 13 or Section 15(d) of the Act.    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant (1) has filed all reports required to be filed by Sections 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to file such reports), and (2) has been subject to such filing requirements for the past 90 days.    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has submitted electronically every Interactive Data File required to be submitted pursuant to Rule 405 of Regulation S-T (§ 232.405 of this chapter) during the preceding 12 months (or for such shorter period that the registrant was required to submit such files).    Yes  ☒    No  ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a large accelerated filer, an accelerated filer, a non-accelerated filer, a smaller reporting company or an emerging growth company. See the definitions of “large accelerated filer,” “accelerated filer,” “smaller reporting company” and “emerging growth company” in Rule 12b-2 of the Exchange Act:

If an emerging growth company, indicate by check mark if the registrant has elected not to use the extended transition period for complying with any new or revised financial accounting standards provided pursuant to Section 13(a) of the Exchange Act.   ☐

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant has filed a report on and attestation to its management’s assessment of the effectiveness of its internal control over financial reporting under Section 404(b) of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act (15 U.S.C. 7262(b)) by the registered public accounting firm that prepared or issued its audit report. ☒

Indicate by check mark whether the registrant is a shell company (as defined in Rule 12b-2 of the Act).    Yes  ☐    No  ☒

The aggregate market value of the common stock held by non-affiliates of the registrant was approximately $663,679,928 (computed by reference to the closing sale price of the registrant’s common stock on the Nasdaq Global Market on June 30, 2020, the last business day of the registrant’s most recently completed second fiscal quarter).

As of February 10, 2021, there were 36,113,317 shares of common stock, par value $0.01 per share, of the registrant outstanding.

DOCUMENTS INCORPORATED BY REFERENCE

Portions of the document listed below have been incorporated by reference into the indicated parts of this Form 10-K, as specified in the responses to the item numbers involved.

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FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This Annual Report on Form 10-K contains forward-looking statements within the meaning of the federal securities laws. Statements that are not historical facts, including statements about our beliefs and expectations, are forward-looking statements. Forward-looking statements include statements preceded by, followed by or that include the words “may”, “could”, “would”, “should”, “believe”, “expect”, “anticipate”, “plan”, “estimate”, “target”, “project”, “intend”, “foresee” and similar expressions. These statements include, among others, statements regarding our expected business outlook, anticipated financial and operating results, our business strategy and means to implement the strategy, our objectives, the amount and timing of capital expenditures, the likelihood of our success in expanding our business, financing plans, budgets, working capital needs and sources of liquidity. By their nature, forward-looking statements involve risks and uncertainties because they relate to events and depend on circumstances that may or may not occur in the future. We believe that these risks and uncertainties include, but are not limited to, those described in the “Risk Factors” section of this Annual Report on Form 10-K. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read with the other cautionary statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Forward-looking statements are only predictions and are not guarantees of performance. These statements are based on our management’s beliefs and assumptions, which in turn are based on currently available information. Important assumptions relating to the forward-looking statements include, among others, assumptions regarding demand for our products, the expansion of product offerings geographically or through new marketing applications, the timing and cost of planned capital expenditures, competitive conditions and general economic conditions. These assumptions could prove inaccurate. Forward-looking statements also involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties, which could cause actual results to differ materially from those contained in any forward-looking statement. In addition, even if our actual results are consistent with the forward-looking statements contained in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, those results may not be indicative of results or developments in subsequent periods. Many of these factors are beyond our ability to control or predict. Such factors include, but are not limited to, the following:

Except as required by applicable law, including the securities laws of the United States and the rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission (“SEC”), we are under no obligation to publicly update or revise any forward-looking statements after we file this Annual Report on Form 10-K, whether as a result of any new information, future events or otherwise. Investors, potential investors and other readers are urged to consider the above mentioned factors carefully in evaluating the forward‑looking statements and are cautioned not to place undue reliance on such forward‑looking statements. Although we believe that the expectations reflected in the forward-looking statements are reasonable, we cannot guarantee future results or performance.

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PART I

Our Company

Through our predecessor companies, we have been in the equipment services business for approximately 60 years. H&E Equipment Services L.L.C. was formed in June 2002 through the combination of Head & Engquist Equipment, LLC (“Head & Engquist”), a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gulf Wide Industries, L.L.C. (“Gulf Wide”), and ICM Equipment Company L.L.C. (“ICM”). Head & Engquist, founded in 1961, and ICM, founded in 1971, were two leading regional, integrated equipment service companies operating in contiguous geographic markets. In the June 2002 transaction, Head & Engquist and ICM were merged with and into Gulf Wide, which was renamed H&E Equipment Services L.L.C. (“H&E LLC”). In connection with our initial public offering in February 2006, we converted H&E LLC into H&E Equipment Services, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

We are one of the largest integrated equipment services companies in the United States focused on heavy construction and industrial equipment. We rent, sell and provide parts and services support for four core categories of specialized equipment: (1) hi-lift or aerial work platform equipment; (2) cranes; (3) earthmoving equipment; and (4) material handling equipment. We engage in five principal business activities in these equipment categories:

By providing rental, sales, parts, repair and maintenance functions under one roof, we offer our customers a one-stop solution for their equipment needs. This full-service approach provides us with (1) multiple points of customer contact; (2) cross-selling opportunities among our rental, new and used equipment sales, parts sales and services operations; (3) an effective method to manage our rental fleet through efficient maintenance and profitable distribution of used equipment; and (4) a mix of business activities that enables us to operate effectively throughout economic cycles. We believe that the operating experience and extensive infrastructure we have developed throughout our history as an integrated equipment services company provide us with a competitive advantage over rental-focused companies and equipment distributors. In addition, our focus on four core categories of heavy construction and industrial equipment enables us to offer specialized knowledge and support to our customers.

We have built an extensive infrastructure that as of February 10, 2021 includes 97 full-service facilities located throughout the Intermountain, Southwest, Gulf Coast, West Coast, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Our work force includes distinct and focused sales forces for our new and used equipment sales and rental operations, highly skilled service technicians, product specialists, and regional and district managers. Our management, from the corporate level down to the branch store level, has extensive industry experience. We focus our rental and sales activities on, and organize our personnel principally by, our four core equipment categories. We believe this allows us to provide specialized equipment knowledge, improve the effectiveness of our rental and sales forces and strengthen our customer relationships. In addition, we operate our day-to-day business on a branch basis, which we believe allows us to more closely service our customers, fosters management accountability at local levels and strengthens our local and regional relationships.

Industry Background

Although there has been some consolidation within the industry in recent years, including the acquisitions of Rental Services Corporation, NES Rentals and Neff Corporation by United Rentals, Inc. (“URI”), the U.S. construction equipment distribution industry remains highly fragmented and consists mainly of a small number of multi-location regional or national operators and a large number of relatively small, independent businesses serving discrete local markets. The industry is driven by a broad range of economic factors including total U.S. non-residential construction trends, construction machinery demand, demand for rental equipment and additional, region-specific factors. Construction equipment is largely distributed to end users through two channels: equipment rental companies and equipment dealers. Examples of equipment rental companies include URI, Sunbelt Rentals, and Hertz Equipment Rental. Examples of equipment dealers include Finning and Toromont. Unlike many of these companies, which principally focus on one channel of distribution, we operate substantially in both channels. As an integrated equipment services company, we rent, sell and provide parts and services support. Although many of the historically pure equipment rental companies also provide parts and service support to customers, their service offerings are typically limited and may prove difficult to expand due to the

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infrastructure, training and resources necessary to develop the breadth of offerings and depth of specialized equipment knowledge that our services and sales staff provides.

Products and Services

Equipment Rentals. We rent our heavy construction and industrial equipment to our customers on a daily, weekly and monthly basis. We have a well-maintained rental fleet that, at December 31, 2020, consisted of approximately 39,389 pieces of equipment having an original acquisition cost (which we define as the cost originally paid to manufacturers or the original amount financed under operating leases) of approximately $1.8 billion and an average age of approximately 40.9 months. Our rental business creates cross-selling opportunities for us in sales and service support activities.

New Equipment Sales. We sell new heavy construction and industrial equipment in all four core equipment categories, and are a leading U.S. distributor for nationally recognized suppliers including JLG Industries, Gehl, Genie Industries (Terex), Komatsu, Takeuchi and JCB. In addition, we are the world’s largest distributor of Grove and Manitowoc crane equipment. Our new equipment sales operation is a source of new customers for our parts sales and service support activities, as well as for used equipment sales.

Used Equipment Sales. We sell used equipment primarily from our rental fleet, as well as inventoried equipment that we acquire through trade-ins from our customers and selective purchases of high-quality used equipment. For the year ended December 31, 2020, approximately 92.5% of our used equipment sales revenues were derived from sales of rental fleet equipment. Used equipment sales, like new equipment sales, generate parts and services business for us.

Parts Sales. We sell new and used parts to customers and also provide parts to our own rental fleet. We maintain an extensive in-house parts inventory in order to provide timely parts and service support to our customers as well as to our own rental fleet. In addition, our parts operations enable us to maintain a high-quality rental fleet and provide additional product support to our end users.

Service Support. We provide maintenance and repair services for our customers’ owned equipment and to our own rental fleet. In addition to repair and maintenance on an as-needed or scheduled basis, we provide ongoing preventative maintenance services and warranty repairs for our customers. We devote significant resources to training our technical service employees and over time, we have built a full-scale services infrastructure that we believe would be difficult for companies without the requisite resources and lead time to effectively replicate.

In addition to our principal business activities mentioned above, we provide ancillary equipment support activities including transportation, hauling, parts shipping and loss damage waivers.

Sales and Marketing

We have two distinct, focused sales forces; one specializing in equipment rentals and one focused specifically on new and used equipment sales. We believe maintaining separate sales forces for equipment rental and equipment sales is important to our customer service, allowing us to effectively meet the demands of different types of customers.

Both our rental sales force and equipment sales force are divided into smaller, product focused teams which enhances the development of in-depth product application and technical expertise. To further develop knowledge and experience, we provide our sales forces with extensive training, including frequent factory and in-house training by manufacturer representatives regarding the operational features, operator safety training and maintenance of new equipment. This training is essential, as our sales personnel regularly call on customers’ job sites, often assisting customers in assessing their immediate and ongoing equipment needs. In addition, we have a commission-based compensation program for our sales forces.

We maintain a company-wide customer relationship management system. We believe that this comprehensive customer and sales management tool enhances our territory management program by increasing the productivity and efficiency of our sales representatives and branch managers as they are provided real-time access to sales and customer information.

We have developed strategies to identify target customers for our equipment services in all markets. These strategies allow our sales force to identify frequent rental users, function as advisors and problem solvers for our customers and accelerate the sales process in new operations.

While our specialized, well-trained sales force strengthens our customer relationships and fosters customer loyalty, we also promote our business through marketing and advertising, including industry publications, direct mail campaigns, television, the Yellow Pages and our Company website at www.he-equipment.com.

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Our Competitive Strengths

Integrated Platform of Products and Services. We believe that our operating experience and the extensive infrastructure we have developed through years of operating as an integrated equipment services company provides us with a competitive advantage over rental-focused companies and equipment distributors. Key strengths of our integrated equipment services platform include:

Complementary, High Margin Parts and Services Operations. Our parts and services businesses allow us to maintain our rental fleet in excellent condition and to offer our customers high-quality rental equipment. Our after-market parts and services businesses together provide us with a high-margin revenue source that has proven to be relatively stable throughout a range of economic cycles.

High-Quality, Multipurpose Fleet. Our focus on four core types of heavy construction and industrial equipment allows us to better provide the specialized knowledge and support that our customers demand when renting and purchasing equipment. These four types of equipment are attractive because they have a long useful life, high residual value and generally strong industry demand.

Well-Developed Infrastructure. We have built an infrastructure that as of February 10, 2021 included a network of 97 full-service facilities in 23 states. Our workforce included, as of December 31, 2020, a highly-skilled group of approximately 505 service technicians and an aggregate of 280 sales people in our specialized rental and equipment sales forces. We believe that our well-developed infrastructure helps us to better serve large multi-regional customers than our historically rental-focused competitors and provides an advantage when competing for lucrative fleet and project management business as well as the ability to quickly capitalize on new opportunities.

Leading Distributor for Suppliers. We are a leading U.S. distributor for nationally-recognized equipment suppliers, including JLG Industries, Gehl, Genie Industries (Terex), Komatsu, Takeuchi and JCB. In addition, we are the world’s largest distributor of Grove and Manitowoc crane equipment. These relationships improve our ability to negotiate equipment acquisition pricing and allow us to purchase parts at wholesale costs.

Customized Information Technology Systems. Our information systems allow us to actively manage our business and our rental fleet. We have a customer relationship management system that provides our sales force with real-time access to customer and sales information. In addition, our enterprise resource planning system enhances our ability to provide more timely and meaningful information to manage our business.

Strong Customer Relationships. We have a diverse base of approximately 45,400 customers as of December 31, 2020 who we believe value our high level of service, knowledge and expertise. Our customer base includes a wide range of industrial and commercial companies, construction contractors, manufacturers, public utilities, municipalities, maintenance contractors and numerous and diverse other large industrial accounts. Our branches enable us to closely service local and regional customers, while our well-developed full-service infrastructure enables us to effectively service multi-regional and national accounts. We believe that our expansive presence and commitment to superior service at all levels of the organization is a key differentiator to many of our competitors. As a result, we spend a significant amount of time and resources to train all key personnel to be responsive and deliver high quality customer service and well-maintained equipment so that we can maintain and grow our customer relationships.

Experienced Management Team. Our senior management team is led by Bradley W. Barber, our Chief Executive Officer, who has over 26 years of industry experience. Our senior and regional managers have approximately 25 years on average of industry experience. Our branch managers have extensive knowledge and industry experience as well.

Our Business Strategy

Our business strategy includes, among other things, managing the life cycle of our rental equipment, expanding our rental product offerings, increasing the availability of our product offerings through branch expansion, and pursuing selective acquisitions. However, the timing and extent to which we implement these various aspects of our strategy depend on a variety of factors, many of which are outside our control, such as general economic conditions and construction activity in the U.S.

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Managing the Life Cycle of Our Rental Equipment. We actively manage the size, quality, age and composition of our rental fleet, employing a “cradle through grave” approach. During the life of our rental equipment, we (1) aggressively negotiate on purchase price; (2) use our customized information technology systems to closely monitor and analyze, among other things, time utilization (equipment usage based on customer demand), rental rate trends and pricing optimization and equipment demand; (3) continuously adjust our fleet mix and pricing; (4) maintain fleet quality through regional quality control managers and our on-site parts and services support; and (5) dispose of rental equipment through our retail sales force. This allows us to purchase our rental equipment at competitive prices, optimally utilize our fleet, cost-effectively maintain our equipment quality and maximize the value of our equipment at the end of its useful life.

Expanding our Rental Product Offerings. We intend to expand our product offerings to customers by offering specialty rental product solutions. Recently, we introduced trench safety product solutions in selected markets. We expect to expand these specialty rental offerings throughout our geographic footprint. Specialty rental product offerings typically provide higher margin opportunities than general rental products.

Increasing the Availability of our Product Offerings through Branch Expansion. We intend to expand our network of branch locations, thereby increasing the availability of both general rental and specialty rental products to our customers to meet their specific needs. Our branch expansion strategy focuses on expanding in markets where we have a presence and benefit from name and brand recognition. Expanding our branch network allows us to grow our margins and improve Company profitability through revenue mix and by leveraging our fixed costs.

Pursuing Selective Acquisitions. We intend to continue to evaluate and pursue, on an opportunistic basis, acquisitions that meet our selection criteria, including favorable financing terms, with the objective of increasing our revenues, improving our profitability, and strengthening our competitive position. We are focused on identifying and acquiring rental companies, including general rental and specialty rental companies, to complement our existing business, broaden our geographic footprint, and increase our density in existing markets, as well enter new markets where feasible expansion opportunities may exist. Growth through acquisitions allows us to leverage our fixed costs and grow profitability. We have completed three acquisitions over the last three years. Effective January 1, 2018, we completed the acquisition of Contractors Equipment Center, LLC (“CEC”), an equipment rental company serving the greater Denver, Colorado area with three branch locations, for approximately $132.4 million in cash. Effective April 1, 2018, we completed the acquisition of Rental Inc., an equipment rental company with five branch locations in Alabama and Florida, for approximately $68.6 million in cash. Effective February 1, 2019, we completed the acquisition of Cobra Equipment Rentals, LLC, dba We-Rent-It (“WRI”), a central Texas based non-residential construction-focused equipment rental company with six branch locations for approximately $107.9 million in cash.

Customers

We serve approximately 45,400 customers in the United States, primarily in the Intermountain, Southwest, Gulf Coast, West Coast, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Our customers include a wide range of industrial and commercial companies, construction contractors, manufacturers, public utilities, municipalities, maintenance contractors and numerous and diverse other large industrial accounts. They vary from small, single machine owners to large contractors and industrial and commercial companies who typically operate under equipment and maintenance budgets. Our branches enable us to closely service local and regional customers, while our well-developed full-service infrastructure enables us to effectively service multi-regional and national accounts. Our integrated strategy enables us to satisfy customer requirements and increase revenues from customers through cross-selling opportunities presented by the various products and services that we offer. As a result, our five reporting segments generally derive their revenue from the same customer base. In 2020, no single customer accounted for more than 0.9% of our total revenues, and no single customer accounted for more than 10% of our revenue on a segmented basis. Our top ten customers combined accounted for approximately 5.8% of our total revenues in 2020.

Suppliers

We purchase a significant amount of equipment from the same manufacturers with whom we have distribution agreements. We purchased approximately 51% of our new equipment and rental fleet from five manufacturers (Grove/Manitowoc, Komatsu, Takeuchi, JCB, and Genie Industries (Terex)) during the year ended December 31, 2020. These relationships improve our ability to negotiate equipment acquisition pricing. Additionally, we are also a leading U.S. distributor for nationally-recognized equipment suppliers including JLG Industries, Gehl, Yanmar and John Deere. As an authorized distributor for a wide range of suppliers, we are also able to provide our customers parts and services that in many cases are covered under the manufacturer’s warranty. While we believe that we have alternative sources of supply for the equipment we purchase in each of our principal product categories, termination of one or more of our relationships with any of our major suppliers of equipment could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations if we were unable to obtain adequate or timely rental and sales equipment.

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Competition

The equipment industry is generally comprised of either pure rental equipment companies or manufacturer dealer/distributorship companies. We are an integrated equipment services company and rent, sell and provide parts and services support. Although there has been some consolidation within the equipment industry in recent years, including the recent acquisitions of Rental Services Corporation, NES Rentals and Neff Corporation by URI, the equipment industry remains highly fragmented and consists mainly of a small number of multi-location regional or national operators and a large number of relatively small, independent businesses serving discrete local markets. Many of the markets in which we operate are served by numerous competitors, ranging from national and multi-regional equipment rental companies (for example, URI, Sunbelt Rentals and Hertz Equipment Rental) or equipment dealers (for example, Finning and Toromont) to small, independent businesses with a limited number of locations.

We believe that participants in the equipment rental industry generally compete on the basis of availability, quality, reliability, delivery and price. In general, large operators enjoy substantial competitive advantages over small, independent rental businesses due to a distinct price advantage. Many rental equipment companies’ parts and services offerings are limited and may prove difficult to expand due to the training, infrastructure and management resources necessary to develop the breadth of service offerings and depth of knowledge our service technicians are able to provide. Some of our competitors have significantly greater financial, marketing and other resources than we do.

Traditionally, equipment manufacturers distributed their equipment and parts through a network of independent dealers with distribution agreements. As a result of consolidation and competition, both manufacturers and distributors sought to streamline their operations, improve their costs and gain market share. Our established, integrated infrastructure enables us to compete directly with our competitors on either a local, regional or national basis. We believe customers place greater emphasis on value-added services, teaming with equipment rental and sales companies who can meet all of their equipment, parts and services needs.

Seasonality

Although our business is not significantly impacted by seasonality, the demand for our rental equipment tends to be lower in the winter months. The level of equipment rental activities is directly related to commercial and industrial construction and maintenance activities. Therefore, equipment rental performance will be correlated to the levels of current construction activities. The severity of weather conditions can have a temporary impact on the level of construction activities.

Equipment sales cycles are also subject to some seasonality with the peak selling period occurring during the spring season and extending through the summer. Parts and services activities are less affected by changes in demand caused by seasonality.

Environmental and Safety Regulations

Our facilities and operations are subject to comprehensive and frequently changing federal, state and local environmental and occupational health and safety laws. These laws regulate (1) the handling, storage, use and disposal of hazardous materials and wastes and, if any, the associated cleanup of properties affected by pollutants; (2) air quality (emissions); and (3) wastewater. We do not currently anticipate any material adverse effect on our business or financial condition or competitive position as a result of our efforts to comply with such requirements. Although we have made and will continue to make capital and other expenditures to comply with environmental requirements, we do not expect to incur material capital expenditures for environmental controls or compliance.

In the future, federal, state or local governments could enact new or more stringent laws or issue new or more stringent regulations concerning environmental and worker health and safety matters, or effect a change in their enforcement of existing laws or regulations, that could affect our operations. Also, in the future, contamination may be found to exist at our facilities or off-site locations where we have sent wastes. There can be no assurance that we, or various environmental regulatory agencies, will not discover previously unknown environmental non-compliance or contamination. We could be held liable for such newly-discovered non-compliance or contamination. It is possible that changes in environmental and worker health and safety laws or liabilities from newly-discovered non-compliance or contamination could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Human Capital

H&E’s operating philosophy is that our growth and continued success are the result of management and employees working together in a spirit of cooperation and teamwork. Our core values emphasize an environment where safety, diversity, inclusion, talent development, training and retention are top priorities. We believe this has enabled us to meet various challenges over the years, and the progress that has been achieved by us reflects this strong mutual commitment between the Company and its employees. We believe our employees are our greatest asset. We remain focused on furnishing friendly and safe working conditions, providing competitive pay and offering quality benefits, and producing revenue for the continued growth of the Company and the communities in which we operate, with an emphasis on the welfare of our employees and their families. We realize our success is a direct result of

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the hard work and dedication of our employees. Each employee at H&E is a contributing partner in our future growth and we strive to maintain a mutually beneficial workplace culture that also fosters the professional development of each employee.

As of December 31, 2020, we had approximately 2,254 employees. Of these employees, 824 are salaried personnel and 1,430 are hourly personnel. Our employees perform the following functions: sales operations, parts operations, rental operations, technical services and office and administrative support. A collective bargaining agreement relating to two branch locations covers approximately 72 of our employees. We believe our relations with our employees are good, and we have never experienced a work stoppage.

Generally, the total number of employees does not significantly fluctuate throughout the year. However, acquisition activity or the opening of new branches may increase the number of our employees or fluctuations in the level of our business activity could require some staffing level adjustments in response to actual or anticipated customer demand.

Available Information

We file electronically with the SEC annual reports on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K and amendments to those reports filed or furnished pursuant to Section 13 or 15(d) of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934. The SEC maintains an Internet site (www.sec.gov) that contains reports, proxy and information statements, and other information regarding issuers that file electronically with the SEC. Copies of these reports, proxy and information statements and other information may be obtained by electronic request at the following e-mail address: publicinfo@sec.gov. Copies of our annual report on Form 10-K, quarterly reports on Form 10-Q, current reports on Form 8-K, ownership reports for insiders and any exhibits to and amendments to these reports filed with or furnished to the SEC are available free of charge through our internet website (www.he-equipment.com) as soon as reasonably practicable after filing with the SEC. We use the Investor Relations section of our website as a means of disclosing material non-public information and for complying with our disclosure obligations under Regulation FD. Accordingly, investors should monitor the Investor Relations section of our website, in addition to following press releases, SEC filings and public conference calls and webcasts.

Additionally, we make available free of charge on our internet website:

Investing in our securities involves a high degree of risk. You should consider carefully the following risk factors and the other information in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, including our consolidated financial statements and related notes, before making any investment decisions regarding our securities. If any of the following risks actually occur, our business, financial condition and operating results could be adversely affected. As a result, the trading price of our securities could decline and you may lose part or all of your investment.

Operational and Competitive Risks

Our business could be adversely affected by declines in construction and industrial activities, or a downturn in the economy in general, which could lead to decreased demand for equipment, depressed equipment rental rates and lower sales prices, resulting in a decline in our revenues, gross margins and operating results.

Our equipment is principally used in connection with construction and industrial activities. Consequently, a downturn in construction or industrial activities, or the economy in general, may lead to a decrease in the demand for equipment or depress rental rates and the sales prices for our equipment. Our business may also be negatively impacted, either temporarily or long-term, by:

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Weakness or deterioration in the non-residential construction and industrial sectors caused by these or other factors could have a material adverse effect on our financial position, results of operations and cash flows in the future and may also have a material adverse effect on residual values realized on the disposition of our rental fleet. Recently, in early 2020, oil prices and consumption decreased significantly and we believe the uncertainty regarding future oil prices and consumption may negatively impact customer capital expenditure decisions.

The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly impacted worldwide economic conditions and could have a material adverse effect on our operations and business.

The outbreak of coronavirus spread globally and has adversely affected economic conditions throughout the United States of America and the world, including in the primary regions we operate. Many State Governors issued, and may re-issue, temporary Executive Orders that, among other stipulations, effectively prohibit in-person work activities for most industries and businesses, having the effect of suspending or severely curtailing operations. While we were considered an essential business pursuant to the various Executive Orders and our branch locations remain operational, if repercussions of the outbreak are prolonged, or if the Executive Orders are re-implemented or expanded, it could have a significant adverse impact to the underlying industries of some of our customers or in some or all of the primary markets in which we operate, including our customers in the oil and natural gas industry. The extent of the ultimate impact of the pandemic on the Company's operational and financial performance and liquidity will depend on various developments, including the duration and spread of the outbreak, governmental limitations on business operations generally, and its and their impact on potential customers, employees, and suppliers vendors and distribution partners, all of which are uncertain and cannot be reasonably predicted at this time. As we cannot predict the duration or scope of the COVID-19 pandemic, any resulting financial impact cannot be reasonably estimated at this time.

The inability to forecast trends accurately may have an adverse impact on our business and financial condition.

An economic downturn or economic uncertainty makes it difficult for us to forecast trends. For example, the current economic uncertainty related to COVID-19 and its impact on the Company's future operational and financial performance is highly dependent on the depth and duration of the pandemic, as well as any government-mandated restrictions on economic activity and any government economic stimulus package in response to the economic downturn. This uncertainty makes it difficult to forecast our future operating performance, cash flows and financial position, which could have an adverse impact on our business and financial condition. Additionally, recent declines in oil and natural gas prices, and uncertainty regarding future price levels, have negatively impacted the exploration, production and construction activity of our customers in those markets. Uncertainty regarding future equipment product demand could cause us to maintain excess equipment inventory and increase our equipment inventory carrying costs. Alternatively, this forecasting difficulty could cause a shortage of equipment for sale or rental that could result in an inability to satisfy demand for our products and a loss of market shares.

Our revenue and operating results may fluctuate, which could result in a decline in our profitability and make it more difficult for us to grow our business.

Our revenue and operating results have historically varied from quarter to quarter. Periods of decline could result in an overall decline in profitability and make it more difficult for us to make payments on our indebtedness and grow our business. We expect our quarterly results to continue to fluctuate in the future due to a number of factors, including:

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In addition, we incur various costs when integrating newly acquired businesses or opening new start-up locations, and the profitability of a new location is generally expected to be lower in the initial months of operation.

We are subject to competition, which may have a material adverse effect on our business by reducing our ability to increase or maintain revenues or profitability.

The equipment rental and retail distribution industries are highly competitive and the equipment rental industry is highly fragmented. Many of the markets in which we operate are served by numerous competitors, ranging from national and multi-regional equipment rental companies to small, independent businesses with a limited number of locations. We generally compete on the basis of availability, quality, reliability, delivery and price. Some of our competitors have significantly greater financial, marketing and other resources than we do, and may be able to reduce rental rates or sales prices. We may encounter increased competition from existing competitors or new market entrants in the future, which could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

We purchase a significant amount of our equipment from a limited number of manufacturers. Termination of one or more of our relationships with any of those manufacturers could have a material adverse effect on our business, as we may be unable to obtain adequate or timely rental and sales equipment.

We purchase most of our rental and sales equipment from leading, nationally-known original equipment manufacturers (“OEMs”). For the year ended December 31, 2020, we purchased approximately 51% of our rental and sales equipment from five manufacturers (Grove/Manitowoc, Komatsu, Takeuchi, JCB, and Genie Industries (Terex)). Although we believe that we have alternative sources of supply for the rental and sales equipment we purchase in each of our core product categories, termination of one or more of our relationships with any of these major suppliers could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations if we were unable to obtain adequate or timely rental and sales equipment.

Our suppliers of new equipment may appoint additional distributors, sell directly or unilaterally terminate our distribution agreements, which could have a material adverse effect on our business due to a reduction of, or inability to increase, our revenues.

We are a distributor of new equipment and parts supplied by leading, nationally-known OEMs. Under our distribution agreements with these OEMs, manufacturers retain the right to appoint additional dealers and sell directly to national accounts and government agencies. We have both written and oral distribution agreements with our new equipment suppliers. Under our oral agreements with the OEMs, we operate under our established course of dealing with the supplier and are subject to the applicable state law regarding such relationship. In most instances, the OEMs may appoint additional distributors, elect to sell to customers directly or unilaterally terminate their distribution agreements with us at any time without cause. Any such actions could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations due to a reduction of, or an inability to increase, our revenues.

The cost of new equipment that we sell or purchase for use in our rental fleet may increase and therefore we may spend more for such equipment. In some cases, we may not be able to procure new equipment on a timely basis due to supplier constraints.

The cost of new equipment from manufacturers that we sell or purchase for use in our rental fleet may increase as a result of increased raw material costs, including increases in the cost of steel, which is a primary material used in most of the equipment we use, or due to increased regulatory requirements, such as those related to emissions. These increases could materially impact our financial condition or results of operations in future periods if we are not able to pass such cost increases through to our customers.

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Our rental fleet is subject to residual value risk upon disposition.

The market value of any given piece of rental equipment could be less than its depreciated value at the time it is sold. The market value of used rental equipment depends on several factors, including:

We include in operating income the difference between the sales price and the depreciated value of an item of equipment sold. Although for the year ended December 31, 2020, we sold used equipment from our rental fleet at an average selling price of approximately 150.8% of net book value, we cannot assure you that used equipment selling prices will not decline. Any significant decline in the selling prices for used equipment could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition, results of operations or cash flows.

We incur maintenance and repair costs associated with our rental fleet equipment that could have a material adverse effect on our business in the event these costs are greater than anticipated.

As our fleet of rental equipment ages, the cost of maintaining such equipment, if not replaced within a certain period of time, generally increases. Determining the optimal age for our rental fleet equipment is subjective and requires considerable estimates by management. We have made estimates regarding the relationship between the age of our rental fleet equipment, and the maintenance and repair costs, and the market value of used equipment. Our future operating results could be adversely affected because our maintenance and repair costs may be higher than estimated and market values of used equipment may fluctuate.

Labor disputes could disrupt our ability to serve our customers and/or lead to higher labor costs.

As of December 31, 2020, we have approximately 72 employees in Utah, a significant territory in our geographic footprint, who are covered by a collective bargaining agreement and approximately 2,182 employees who are not represented by unions or covered by collective bargaining agreements. Various unions periodically seek to organize certain of our nonunion employees. Union organizing efforts or collective bargaining negotiations could potentially lead to work stoppages and/or slowdowns or strikes by certain of our employees, which could adversely affect our ability to serve our customers. Further, settlement of actual or threatened labor disputes or an increase in the number of our employees covered by collective bargaining agreements can have unknown effects on our labor costs, productivity and flexibility.

Fluctuations in fuel costs or reduced supplies of fuel could harm our business.

We could be adversely affected by limitations on fuel supplies or significant increases in fuel prices that result in higher costs to us for transporting equipment from one branch to another branch or one region to another region. A significant or protracted disruption of fuel supplies could have an adverse effect on our financial condition and results of operations.

Strategic Risks

We may not be able to facilitate our growth strategy by identifying or completing transactions with attractive acquisition candidates, which could limit our revenues and profitability. Future acquisitions may result in significant transaction expenses and we may involve significant costs. We may experience integration and consolidation risks associated with future acquisitions.

An element of our growth strategy is to selectively pursue on an opportunistic basis acquisitions of additional businesses, in particular rental companies that complement our existing business and footprint, such as our acquisitions of CEC and Rental Inc. in January 2018 and April 2018, respectively, and WRI in February 2019. The success of this element of our growth strategy depends, in part, on selecting strategic acquisition candidates at attractive prices and effectively integrating their businesses into our own, including with respect to financial reporting and regulatory matters. We cannot assure you that we will be able to identify attractive acquisition candidates or complete the acquisition of any identified candidates at favorable prices and upon advantageous terms and conditions, including financing alternatives. We expect to face competition for acquisition candidates, which may limit the number of acquisition opportunities and lead to higher acquisition costs. We may not have the financial resources necessary to consummate any

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acquisitions or the ability to obtain the necessary funds on satisfactory terms. Any future acquisitions may result in significant transaction expenses and risks associated with entering new markets. We may also be subject to claims by third parties related to the operations of these businesses prior to our acquisition and by sellers under the terms of our acquisition agreements The Company also regularly reviews other potential strategic transactions, including dispositions.

We may not have sufficient management, financial and other resources to integrate and consolidate any future acquisitions. Any significant diversion of management’s attention or any major difficulties encountered in the integration of the businesses we acquire could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations, which could decrease our profitability and make it more difficult for us to grow our business.  Among other things, these integration risks could include:

Furthermore, general economic conditions, economic uncertainty related to COVID-19, or unfavorable global capital and credit markets could affect the timing and extent to which we successfully acquire or integrate new businesses, which could limit our revenues and profitability.

We may not be able to facilitate our growth strategy by identifying and opening attractive start-up locations, which could limit our revenues and profitability.

An element of our growth strategy is to selectively identify and implement start-up locations in order to add new customers. The success of this element of our growth strategy depends, in part, on identifying strategic start-up locations.

We also cannot assure you that we will be able to identify attractive start-up locations. Opening start-up locations may involve significant costs and limit our ability to expand our operations. Start-up locations may involve risks associated with entering new markets and we may face significant competition.

We may not have sufficient management, financial and other resources to successfully operate new locations. Any significant diversion of management’s attention or any major difficulties encountered in the locations that we open in the future could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition or results of operations, which could decrease our profitability and make it more difficult for us to grow our business. Furthermore, general economic conditions or unfavorable global capital and credit markets could affect the timing and extent to which we open new start-up locations, which could limit our revenues and profitability.

Liquidity and Capital Resource Risks

Unfavorable conditions or disruptions in the capital and credit markets may adversely impact business conditions and the availability of credit.

Disruptions in the global capital and credit markets as a result of an economic downturn, economic uncertainty, changing or increased regulation, reduced alternatives or failures of significant financial institutions could adversely affect our customers’ ability to access capital and could adversely affect our access to liquidity needed for business in the future. Additionally, unfavorable market conditions may depress demand for our products and services or make it difficult for our customers to obtain financing and credit on

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reasonable terms. Unfavorable market conditions also may cause more of our customers to be unable to meet their payment obligations to us, increasing delinquencies and credit losses. If we are unable to manage credit risk adequately, or if a large number of customers should have financial difficulties at the same time, our credit losses could increase above historical levels and our operating results would be adversely affected. Delinquencies and credit losses generally can be expected to increase during economic slowdowns or recessions. Moreover, our suppliers may be adversely impacted by unfavorable capital and credit markets, causing disruption or delay of product availability. These events could negatively impact our business, financial position, results of operations and cash flows.

Our substantial indebtedness could adversely affect our financial condition.

We have a significant amount of indebtedness outstanding. As of December 31, 2020, we had total outstanding indebtedness of approximately $1.3 billion, consisting of the $1.25 billion aggregate amounts outstanding under our senior unsecured notes, and approximately $0.3 million of finance lease obligations.

Our substantial indebtedness could have important consequences. For example, it could:

We expect to use cash flow from operations and borrowings under our senior secured credit facility (“Credit Facility”) to meet our current and future financial obligations, including funding our operations, debt service and capital expenditures. Our ability to make these payments depends on our future performance, which will be affected by financial, business, economic and other factors, many of which we cannot control. Our business may not generate sufficient cash flow from operations in the future, which could result in our being unable to repay indebtedness, or to fund other liquidity needs. If we do not have enough capital, we may be forced to reduce or delay our business activities and capital expenditures, sell assets, obtain additional debt or equity capital or restructure or refinance all or a portion of our debt, including the senior unsecured notes and our Credit Facility, on or before maturity. We cannot make any assurances that we will be able to accomplish any of these alternatives on terms acceptable to us, or at all. In addition, the terms of existing or future indebtedness, including the agreements governing the senior unsecured notes and the Credit Facility may limit our ability to pursue any of these alternatives. As of February 10, 2021, we had borrowing availability under the Credit Facility of $741.3 million, net of an $8.7 million outstanding letter of credit.

We may not be able to generate sufficient cash to service all of our indebtedness and may be forced to take other actions to satisfy our obligations under our indebtedness, which may not be successful.

Our ability to make scheduled payments or to refinance our debt obligations depends on our financial and operating performance, which is subject to prevailing economic and competitive conditions and to certain financial, business and other factors beyond our control. We cannot make assurances that we will maintain a level of cash flows from operating activities sufficient to permit us to pay the principal, premium, if any, and interest on our indebtedness. In the absence of such operating results and resources, we could face substantial liquidity problems and might be required to dispose of material assets or operations to meet our debt service and other obligations. The Credit Facility and the indenture governing the senior unsecured notes restrict our ability to dispose of assets and use the proceeds from the disposition. We may not be able to consummate those dispositions or to obtain the proceeds which we could realize from such dispositions. Any proceeds we do receive from a disposition may not be adequate to meet any debt service obligations then due.

If our cash flows and capital resources are insufficient to fund our debt service obligations, we may be forced to reduce or delay capital expenditures, sell assets or operations, seek additional capital or restructure or refinance our indebtedness. We cannot assure you that we would be able to take any of these actions, that these actions would be successful and permit us to meet our scheduled debt service obligations or that these actions would be permitted under the terms of our existing or future debt agreements, including the Credit Facility or the indenture governing the senior unsecured notes.

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If we cannot make scheduled payments on our debt, we will be in default and, as a result:

Despite current indebtedness levels, we may still be able to incur more indebtedness, which could further exacerbate the risks described above.

Under the terms of the agreements governing the Credit Facility and the senior unsecured notes, we and our subsidiaries may be able to incur substantial indebtedness in the future.

Additionally, our Credit Facility provides revolving commitments of up to $750.0 million in the aggregate. As of February 10, 2021, we had $741.3 million of availability under the Credit Facility, net of an $8.7 million outstanding letter of credit. If new debt is added to our current debt levels, the risks that we now face relating to our substantial indebtedness could intensify.

The agreements governing the Credit Facility and our senior unsecured notes restrict our business and our ability to engage in certain corporate and financial transactions.

The agreements governing the Credit Facility and the senior unsecured notes contain certain covenants that, among other things, restrict or limit our and our restricted subsidiaries’ ability to:

Our ability to borrow under the Credit Facility depends upon compliance with the restrictions contained in the Credit Facility. Events beyond our control could affect our ability to meet these covenants. In addition, the Credit Facility requires us to meet certain financial conditions tests and availability thereunder is subject to borrowing base availability.

Events beyond our control can affect our ability to meet these financial conditions tests and to comply with other provisions governing the Credit Facility and the senior unsecured notes. Our failure to comply with obligations under the agreements governing the Credit Facility and the senior unsecured notes may result in an event of default under the agreements governing the Credit Facility and the senior unsecured notes, respectively. A default, if not cured or waived, may permit acceleration of this indebtedness and our other indebtedness. We may not be able to remedy these defaults. If our indebtedness is accelerated, we may not have sufficient funds available to pay the accelerated indebtedness and may not have the ability to refinance the accelerated indebtedness on terms favorable to us or at all.

Variable rate indebtedness subjects us to interest rate risk, which could cause our debt service obligations to increase significantly.

Borrowings under the Credit Facility are at variable rates of interest, based on the U.S. prime rate and the London Interbank Offered Rate (“LIBOR”), and expose us to interest rate risk. As such, our results of operations are sensitive to movements in interest rates.

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There are many economic factors outside our control that have in the past and may, in the future, impact rates of interest, including publicly announced indices that underlie our interest obligations related to borrowings under the Credit Facility based on LIBOR. LIBOR is an interest rate benchmark used as a reference rate for a wide range of financial transactions, including derivatives and loans. In July 2017, the United Kingdom’s Financial Conduct Authority, which regulates LIBOR, announced that it intends to phase out LIBOR rates by the end of 2021. The Alternative Reference Rates Committee (“ARRC”) has proposed that the Secured Overnight Financing Rate (“SOFR”) is the rate that represents best practice as the alternative to LIBOR for use in financial contracts that are currently indexed to United States dollar LIBOR. ARRC has proposed a paced market transition plan to SOFR from LIBOR and organizations are currently working on industry wide and company specific transition plans as it relates to financial derivative contracts exposed to LIBOR. Uncertainty exists as to the transition process and broad acceptance of SOFR as the primary alternative to LIBOR. The discontinuation of LIBOR will require us to amend our Credit Facility, which matures on January 31, 2024. At this time, we cannot predict the future impact of a departure from LIBOR as a reference rate.

Factors that also impact interest rates include governmental monetary policies, inflation, recession, changes in unemployment, the money supply, international disorder and instability in domestic and foreign financial markets. If interest rates increase, our debt service obligations on the variable rate indebtedness would increase even though the amount borrowed remained the same, and our results of operations would be adversely impacted. Such increases in interest rates could have a material adverse effect on our financial conditions and results of operations.

Our business could be hurt if we are unable to obtain additional capital as required, resulting in a decrease in our revenues and profitability. In addition, our inability to refinance our indebtedness on favorable terms, or at all, could materially and adversely affect our liquidity and our ongoing results of operations.

The cash that we generate from our business, together with cash that we may borrow under our Credit Facility, if available, may not be sufficient to fund our capital requirements. We may require additional financing to obtain capital for, among other purposes, purchasing equipment, completing acquisitions, establishing new locations and refinancing existing indebtedness. Any additional indebtedness that we incur will make us more vulnerable to economic downturns and limit our ability to withstand competitive pressures. Moreover, we may not be able to obtain additional capital on acceptable terms, if at all. If we are unable to obtain sufficient additional financing in the future, our business could be adversely affected by reducing our ability to increase revenues and profitability.

In addition, our ability to refinance indebtedness will depend in part on our operating and financial performance, which, in turn, is subject to prevailing economic conditions and to financial, business, legislative, regulatory and other factors beyond our control. In addition, prevailing interest rates or other factors at the time of refinancing could increase our interest expense. A refinancing of our indebtedness could also require us to comply with more onerous covenants and further restrict our business operations. Our inability to refinance our indebtedness or to do so upon attractive terms could materially and adversely affect our business, prospects, results of operations, financial condition and cash flows, and make us vulnerable to adverse industry and general economic conditions.

The continued payment of our quarterly dividend is subject to, among other things, the availability of funds and the discretion of our board of directors.

The payment of future dividends and the amount thereof is uncertain, at the sole discretion of our board of directors and considered by the board of directors each quarter. The payment of dividends is dependent upon, among other things, operating cash flow generated by our business, financial requirements for our operations, the execution of our growth strategy, the restrictions and covenants pursuant to our Credit Facility and senior unsecured notes, and the satisfaction of solvency tests imposed by the Delaware General Corporation Law and other applicable law for the declaration and payment of dividends.

Governmental Regulation Risks

We have operations throughout the United States, which exposes us to multiple federal, state and local regulations. Changes in applicable law, regulations or requirements, or our material failure to comply with any of them, can increase our costs and have other negative impacts on our business.

Our 97 branch locations, as of February 10, 2021, in the United States are located in 23 different states, which exposes us to a host of different federal, state and local regulations. These laws and requirements address multiple aspects of our operations, such as worker safety, consumer rights, privacy, employee benefits and more, and can often have different requirements in different jurisdictions. Changes in these requirements, or any material failure by our branches to comply with them, could increase our costs, affect our reputation, limit our business, drain management’s time and attention or otherwise, generally impact our operations in adverse ways.

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We could be adversely affected by environmental and safety requirements, which could force us to increase significant capital and other operational costs and may subject us to unanticipated liabilities.

Our operations, like those of other companies engaged in similar businesses, require the handling, use, storage and disposal of certain regulated materials. As a result, we are subject to the requirements of federal, state and local environmental and occupational health and safety laws and regulations. We may not be in complete compliance with all such requirements at all times. We are subject to potentially significant civil or criminal fines or penalties if we fail to comply with any of these requirements. We have made and will continue to make capital and other expenditures in order to comply with these laws and regulations. However, the requirements of these laws and regulations are complex, change frequently, and could become more stringent in the future. It is possible that these requirements will change or that liabilities will arise in the future in a manner that could have a material adverse effect on our business, financial condition and results of operations.

Environmental laws also impose obligations and liability for the cleanup of properties affected by hazardous substance spills or releases. These liabilities can be imposed on the parties generating or disposing of such substances or the operator of the affected property, often without regard to whether the owner or operator knew of, or was responsible for, the presence of hazardous substances. Accordingly, we may become liable, either contractually or by operation of law, for remediation costs even if a contaminated property is not currently owned or operated by us, or if the contamination was caused by third parties during or prior to our ownership or operation of the property. Given the nature of our operations (which involve the use of petroleum products, solvents and other hazardous substances for fueling and maintaining our equipment and vehicles), there can be no assurance that prior site assessments or investigations have identified all potential instances of soil or groundwater contamination. Future events, such as changes in existing laws or policies or their enforcement, or the discovery of currently unknown contamination, may give rise to additional remediation liabilities, which may be material.

Our business may be materially affected by changes to fiscal and tax policies. Negative or unexpected tax consequences could adversely affect our results of operations.

Adverse changes in the underlying profitability and financial outlook of our operations or future changes in tax law could lead to changes in the value of tax assets or liabilities that we currently or in the future may hold, which could materially affect our results of operations.

General Business Risks

Fluctuations in the stock market, as well as general economic and market conditions, may impact the market price of our common stock.

The market price of our common stock has been and may continue to be subject to significant fluctuations in response to general economic changes and other factors including, but not limited to:

Broad market and industry factors may materially reduce the market price of our common stock, regardless of or in a manner that is disproportionate to any related impact on our operating performance. Most recently, in the first quarter of 2020, worldwide crude oil and natural gas prices sharply declined as a result of the lack of agreement on production levels by members of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and other oil- and gas-producing countries, which resulted in production outstripping the demand for oil and gas. Additionally, the effects of the COVID-19 outbreak, has decreased demand for oil and gas products as companies and other organizations have suspended or curtailed operations and travel. Although worldwide crude oil and natural gas prices have partially recovered from the 2020 first quarter decline, we believe the uncertainty regarding future oil and natural gas prices continues to impact customer capital expenditure decisions. In addition, the stock market historically has experienced price and volume

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fluctuations that often have been unrelated or disproportionate to the operating performance of companies. These fluctuations, as well as general economic and market conditions, including those listed above and others, may harm the market price of our common stock.

Security breaches and other disruptions in our information technology systems, including our customer relationship management system, could limit our capacity to effectively monitor and control our operations, compromise our or our customers’ and suppliers’ confidential information or otherwise adversely affect our operating results or business reputation.

Our information technology systems, some of which are managed by third parties, facilitate our ability to monitor and control our operations and adjust to changing market conditions, including processing, transmitting, storing, managing and supporting a variety of business processes, activities and information. Further, as we pursue our strategy to grow through acquisitions and to pursue new initiatives that improve our operations, we are also expanding and improving our information technologies, resulting in a larger technological presence and corresponding exposure to cybersecurity risk. Any disruption in any of these systems, including our customer management system, or the failure of any of these systems to operate as expected could, depending on the magnitude of the problem, adversely affect our operating results by limiting our capacity to effectively monitor and control our operations and adjust to changing market conditions.

Additionally, we collect and store sensitive data, including proprietary business information and the proprietary business information of our customers and suppliers, in data centers and on information technology networks, including cloud-based networks. The secure operation of these information technology networks and the processing and maintenance of this information is critical to our business operations and strategy. Despite security measures and business continuity plans, our information technology networks and infrastructure may be vulnerable to damage, disruptions or shutdowns due to attacks by cyber criminals or breaches due to employee error or malfeasance or other disruptions during the process of upgrading or replacing computer software or hardware, power outages, computer viruses, telecommunication or utility failures, terrorist acts or natural disasters or other catastrophic events. Further, the growing use and rapid evolution of technology, including mobile devices, has heightened the risk of unintentional data breaches or leaks. The occurrence of any of these events could compromise our networks, and the information stored there could be accessed, publicly disclosed, lost or stolen. In addition, as security threats continue to evolve we may need to invest additional resources to protect the security of our systems or to comply with privacy, data security, cybersecurity and data protection laws applicable to our business.

Any failure to effectively prevent, detect and/or recover from any such access, disclosure or other loss of information, or to comply with any such current or future law related thereto, could result in legal claims or proceedings, liability or regulatory penalties under laws protecting the privacy of personal information, disrupt operations, and damage our reputation, which could adversely affect our business.

We are dependent on key personnel. A loss of key personnel could have a material adverse effect on our business, which could result in a decline in our revenues and profitability.

Our senior and regional managers have an average of approximately 25 years of industry experience. Our branch managers have extensive knowledge and industry experience as well. Our success is dependent, in part, on the experience and skills of our management team. Competition for top management talent within our industry is generally significant. If we are unable to fill and keep filled all of our senior management positions, or if we lose the services of any key member of our senior management team and are unable to find a suitable replacement in a timely manner, we may be challenged to effectively manage our business and execute our strategy.

If we fail to maintain an effective system of internal controls, we may not be able to accurately report financial results or prevent fraud.

Effective internal controls are necessary to provide reliable financial reports and to assist in the effective prevention of fraud. Any inability to provide reliable financial reports or prevent fraud could harm our business. We must annually evaluate our internal procedures to satisfy the requirements of Section 404 of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which requires management and auditors to assess the effectiveness of our internal controls. If we fail to remedy or maintain the adequacy of our internal controls, as such standards are modified, supplemented or amended from time to time, we could be subject to regulatory scrutiny, civil or criminal penalties or stockholder litigation.

In addition, failure to maintain effective internal controls could result in financial statements that do not accurately reflect our financial condition or results of operations. There can be no assurance that we will be able to maintain a system of internal controls that fully complies with the requirements of the Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002 or that our management and independent registered public accounting firm will continue to conclude that our internal controls are effective.

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We are exposed to various risks related to legal proceedings or claims that could adversely affect our operating results. The nature of our business exposes us to various liability claims, which may exceed the level of our insurance coverage resulting in us not being fully protected.

We are a party to lawsuits in the normal course of our business. Litigation in general can be expensive, lengthy and disruptive to normal business operations. Moreover, the results of complex legal proceedings are difficult to predict. Responding to lawsuits brought against us, or legal actions that we may initiate, can often be expensive and time-consuming. Unfavorable outcomes from these claims and/or lawsuits could adversely affect our business, results of operations, or financial condition, and we could incur substantial monetary liability and/or be required to change our business practices.

Our business exposes us to claims for personal injury, death or property damage resulting from the use of the equipment we rent or sell and from injuries caused in motor vehicle accidents in which our delivery and service personnel are involved and other employee related matters. Additionally, we could be subject to potential litigation associated with compliance with various laws and governmental regulations at the federal, state or local levels, such as those relating to the protection of persons with disabilities, employment, health, safety, security and other regulations under which we operate.

We carry comprehensive insurance, subject to deductibles, at levels we believe are sufficient to cover existing and future claims made during the respective policy periods. However, we may be exposed to multiple claims, and, as a result, we could incur significant out-of-pocket costs before reaching the deductible amount which could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations. In addition, the cost of such insurance policies may increase significantly upon renewal of those policies as a result of general rate increases for the type of insurance we carry as well as our historical experience and experience in our industry. Although we have not experienced any material losses that were not covered by insurance, our existing or future claims may exceed the coverage level of our insurance, and such insurance may not continue to be available on economically reasonable terms, or at all. If we are required to pay significantly higher premiums for insurance, are not able to maintain insurance coverage at affordable rates or if we must pay amounts in excess of claims covered by our insurance, we could experience higher costs that could adversely affect our financial condition and results of operations.

None.

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As of February 10, 2021, we had a network of 97 full-service facilities in 23 states in the West Coast, Intermountain, Southwest, Gulf Coast, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. In our facilities, we rent, display and sell equipment, including tools and supplies, and provide maintenance and basic repair work. Of the 97 total facilities, we own 11 of our locations and lease 86 locations. Our leases typically provide for varying terms and renewal options. The following table provides data on our locations and the number of multiple branch locations in each city is indicated by parentheses: 

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Each facility location has a branch manager who is responsible for day-to-day operations. In addition, branch operating facilities are typically staffed with approximately 10 to over 100 people, who may include technicians, salespeople, rental operations staff and parts specialists. While facility offices are typically open five days a week, we provide 24 hour, seven day per week service.

Our corporate headquarters employs approximately 335 people. Our corporate headquarters facility is on 3.1 acres of company-owned land where we occupy a total of approximately 42,550 square feet.

For information on Company legal proceedings, see Note 13 to our Consolidated Financial Statements included in Part II, Item 8, of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Not applicable.

PART II

Market Information

Our common stock, par value $0.01 per share, trades on the Nasdaq Global Market (“Nasdaq”) under the symbol “HEES.”

Holders

As of December 31, 2020, there were 67 stockholders of record of our common stock. This does not include beneficial owners of our common stock whose stock is held in nominee or “street name”.

Dividends

During the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, the Company paid quarterly cash dividends totaling $1.10 per share in each year, or approximately $39.6 million and $39.4 million, respectively. The Company intends to continue to pay regular quarterly cash dividends; however, the declaration of any subsequent dividends is discretionary and will be subject to a final determination by the Board of Directors each quarter after its review of, among other things, business and market conditions.

Securities Authorized for Issuance Under Equity Compensation Plans

For certain information concerning securities authorized for issuance under our equity compensation plan, see Item 12 — Security Ownership of Certain Beneficial Owners and Management and Related Stockholder Matters.

Performance Graph

The Performance Graph below compares the cumulative total stockholder return on H&E Equipment Services, Inc.’s common stock beginning on December 31, 2015 and for each subsequent quarter period end through and including December 31, 2020, with the cumulative returns of the Russell 2000 Index and an industry peer group selected by us. The peer group we selected is comprised of the following companies: URI, Toromont Industries, Ltd., Finning International, Inc., and The Ashtead Group, PLC. In our Annual Reports on Form 10-K for the years ended December 31, 2015, we included within our peer group, Hertz Global Holdings, which previously owned Herc Holdings Inc., the then parent company of Herc Rentals Inc., Hertz’s equipment rental business. On July 1, 2016, Herc Holdings Inc. was separated from Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. and became an independent, publicly-traded corporation. Accordingly, we have excluded Herc Holdings Inc. and Hertz Global Holdings, Inc. from our industry peer group in the five-year Performance Graph below. Herc Holdings Inc. will be included in our peer group when they have five years of comparative historical data.

The Performance Graph comparison assumes $100 was invested in our common stock and in each of the other indices described above on December 31, 2015. Dividend reinvestment has been assumed and returns have been weighted to reflect relative stock market capitalization. The stock performance shown on the graph below is not necessarily indicative of future price performance.

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This stock performance information is “furnished” and shall not be deemed to be “soliciting material” or subject to Rule 14A of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended (the “Exchange Act”), shall not be deemed “filed” for purposes of Section 18 of the Exchange Act or otherwise subject to the liabilities of that section, and shall not be deemed incorporated by reference in any filing under the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, or the Exchange Act, whether made before or after the date of this Annual Report on Form 10-K and irrespective of any general incorporation by reference language in any such filing, except to the extent that we specifically incorporate this information by reference.

Issuer Purchases of Equity Securities

On October 12, 2020, 2,983 shares of non-vested stock that were issued in 2015 vested at $23.06 per share. The holder of those vested shares returned 1,264 shares of common stock to the Company during the quarter ended December 31, 2020 as payment for their withholding taxes. This resulted in an addition of 1,264 shares to treasury stock.

Omitted pursuant to SEC Final Rule Release No. 33-10890, Management’s Discussion and Analysis, Selected Financial Data, and Supplementary Financial Information, with respect to Item 301, effective February 10, 2021.

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The following discussion summarizes the financial position of H&E Equipment Services, Inc. and its subsidiaries as of December 31, 2020, and its results of operations for the year ended December 31, 2020, and should be read in conjunction with the Selected Financial Data and our consolidated financial statements and the accompanying notes thereto included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K. The following discussion contains, in addition to historical information, forward-looking statements that include risks and uncertainties (see discussion of “Forward-Looking Statements” included elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K). Our actual results may differ materially from those anticipated in these forward-looking statements as a result of certain factors, including those factors set forth under Item 1A—Risk Factors of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

The outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to affect the United States of America and the world, including in the primary regions we operate. Many State Governors issued temporary Executive Orders in 2020, which continue to remain effective in most states that, among other stipulations, effectively limit in-person work activities for most industries and businesses having the effect of suspending or severely curtailing operations. While we are considered an essential business pursuant to the various Executive Orders, if repercussions of the outbreak are prolonged, it could have a significant adverse impact to the underlying industries of some of our customers or in some or all of the primary markets in which we operate, including our customers in the oil and gas industry. To date, our branch locations remain operational and we have not incurred any significant interruptions to our day-to-day operations or supply chain, except most of our corporate employees are working remotely. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, we proactively implemented certain measures to strengthen cash flow, manage costs, strengthen liquidity and enhance employee safety. These measures included the reduction of payroll costs, a reduction in capital expenditures and other discretionary spending, the elimination of most business travel and restriction of visitors to our corporate office, enhanced cleaning and disinfection procedures at our corporate office and branch locations, promotion of social distancing and the wearing of face coverings (masks) at our corporate office and branch locations, and requirements for employees to work from home where possible.

As the impact of COVID-19 became more widespread in March 2020, our equipment rental utilization and sales volumes began to decline from February 2020 levels and this decline continued through mid-April, where we began to see utilization and sales levels improve and stabilize for the remainder of the year and into early 2021, as adjusted for normal seasonality. Even with these recent sequential improvements, our total revenues for the year ended December 31, 2020, were 13.3% lower than those of the year ended December 31, 2019. The timing and the extent of any continued recovery, or subsequent contraction, in our equipment rental utilization and sales volumes cannot be reasonably estimated at this time. As such, the extent of the ultimate impact of the pandemic on the Company's operational and financial performance will depend on various developments, including the duration and spread of the outbreak, the impact on capital and financial markets, governmental limitations on business operations generally, and its and their impact on potential customers, employees, vendors and distribution partners, all of which cannot be reasonably predicted at this time. For a discussion of liquidity, see Liquidity and Capital Resources below.

Background

As one of the largest integrated equipment services companies in the United States focused on heavy construction and industrial equipment, we rent, sell and provide parts and services support for four core categories of specialized equipment: (1) hi-lift or aerial work platform equipment; (2) cranes; (3) earthmoving equipment; and (4) material handling equipment. By providing equipment rental, sales, on-site parts, repair and maintenance functions under one roof, we are a one-stop provider for our customers’ varied equipment needs. This full service approach provides us with multiple points of customer contact, enables us to maintain a high quality rental fleet, as well as an effective distribution channel for fleet disposal and provides cross-selling opportunities among our new and used equipment sales, rental, parts sales and services operations.

As of February 10, 2021, we operated 97 full-service facilities throughout the Intermountain, Southwest, Gulf Coast, West Coast, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States. Our work force includes distinct, focused sales forces for our new and used equipment sales and rental operations, highly skilled service technicians, product specialists and regional and district managers. We focus our sales and rental activities on, and organize our personnel principally by, our four core equipment categories. We believe this allows us to provide specialized equipment knowledge, improve the effectiveness of our rental and sales force and strengthen our customer relationships. In addition, we have branch managers for each location who are responsible for managing their assets and financial results. We believe this fosters accountability in our business and strengthens our local and regional relationships.

Through our predecessor companies, we have been in the equipment services business for approximately 60 years. H&E L.L.C. was formed in June 2002 through the business combination of Head & Engquist, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Gulf Wide, and ICM. Head & Engquist, founded in 1961, and ICM, founded in 1971, were two leading regional, integrated equipment service companies operating in contiguous geographic markets. In connection with our initial public offering in February 2006, we converted H&E LLC into H&E Equipment Services, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

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Effective January 1, 2018, we completed the acquisition of CEC, a privately-held company focused on non-residential construction equipment rentals serving the greater Denver, Colorado area out of three branch locations. Effective April 1, 2018, we completed the acquisition of Rental, Inc., a privately-held equipment rental and distribution company with five branch locations in Alabama and Florida. Effective February 1, 2019, we completed the acquisition of WRI, a privately-held equipment rental company with six branch locations in Central Texas.

Business Segments

We have five reportable segments because we derive our revenues from five principal business activities: (1) equipment rentals; (2) new equipment sales; (3) used equipment sales; (4) parts sales; and (5) repair and maintenance services. These segments are based upon how we allocate resources and assess performance. In addition, we also have non-segmented revenues and costs that relate to equipment support activities.

Our non-segmented revenues and costs for the periods presented in the Annual Report on Form 10-K relate to equipment support activities that we provide, such as transportation, hauling, parts freight and damage waivers, and are not generally allocated to reportable segments.

You can read more about our business segments in note 18 of the consolidated financial statements in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Revenue Sources

We generate all of our total revenues from our five business segments and our non-segmented equipment support activities. Equipment rentals and new equipment sales account for more than half of our total revenues.

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The pie charts below illustrate a breakdown of our revenues and gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2020 by business segment (see note 18 to our consolidated financial statements for further information regarding our business segments):

The equipment that we sell, rent and service is principally used in the construction industry, as well as by companies for commercial and industrial uses such as plant maintenance and turnarounds, as well as in the petrochemical and energy sectors. As a result, our total revenues are affected by several factors including, but not limited to, the demand for and availability of rental equipment, rental rates and other competitive factors, the demand for new and used equipment, the level of construction and industrial activities, spending levels by our customers, adverse weather conditions and general economic conditions.

Equipment Rentals. Our rental operation primarily rents our four core types of construction and industrial equipment. We have a well-maintained rental fleet and our own dedicated sales force, focused by equipment type. We actively manage the size, quality, age and composition of our rental fleet based on our analysis of key measures such as time utilization (which we analyze as equipment usage based on: (1) a percentage of original equipment cost, and (2) the number of rental equipment units available for rent), rental rate trends and targets, rental equipment dollar utilization and maintenance and repair costs, which we closely monitor. We maintain fleet quality through regional quality control managers and our parts and services operations.

New Equipment Sales. We seek to optimize revenues from new equipment sales by selling equipment through a professional in-house retail sales force focused by product type. While sales of new equipment are impacted by the availability of equipment from the manufacturer, we believe our status as a leading distributor for some of our key suppliers improves our ability to obtain equipment. New equipment sales are an important component of our integrated model due to customer interaction and service contact and new equipment sales also lead to future parts and services revenues.

Used Equipment Sales. We generate the majority of our used equipment sales revenues by selling equipment from our rental fleet. The remainder of our used equipment sales revenues comes from the sale of inventoried equipment that we acquire through trade-ins from our equipment customers and selective purchases of high-quality used equipment. Our policy is not to offer specified price trade-in arrangements on equipment for sale. Sales of our rental fleet equipment allow us to manage the size, quality, composition and age of our rental fleet, and provide us with a profitable distribution channel for the disposal of rental equipment.

Parts Sales. We generate revenues from the sale of new and used parts for equipment that we rent or sell, as well as for other makes of equipment. Our product support sales representatives are instrumental in generating our parts revenues. They are product specialists and receive performance incentives for achieving certain sales levels. Most of our parts sales come from our extensive in-house parts inventory. Our parts sales provide us with a relatively stable revenue stream that is generally less sensitive to the economic cycles that tend to affect our rental and equipment sales operations.

Services. We derive our services revenues from maintenance and repair services to customers for their owned equipment. In addition to repair and maintenance on an as-needed or scheduled basis, we also provide ongoing preventative maintenance services to industrial customers. Our after-market service provides a high-margin, relatively stable source of revenue through changing economic cycles.

Our non-segmented other revenues for the periods presented in this Annual Report on Form 10-K relate primarily to ancillary charges associated with equipment maintenance and repair services, and are not generally allocated to reportable segments.

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Principal Costs and Expenses

Our largest expenses are the costs to purchase the new equipment we sell, the costs associated with the used equipment we sell, rental expenses, rental depreciation and costs associated with parts sales and services, all of which are included in cost of revenues. For the year ended December 31, 2020, our total cost of revenues was approximately $766.5 million. Our operating expenses consist principally of selling, general and administrative (“SG&A”) expenses. For the year ended December 31, 2020, our SG&A expenses were $289.3 million. In addition, we have interest expense related to our debt instruments. Operating expenses and all other income and expense items below the gross profit line of our consolidated statements of operations are not generally allocated to our reportable segments.

We are also subject to federal and state income taxes. Future income tax examinations by state and federal agencies could result in additional income tax expense based on probable outcomes of such matters.

Cost of Revenues:

Rental Depreciation. Depreciation of rental equipment represents the depreciation costs attributable to rental equipment. Estimated useful lives vary based upon type of equipment. Generally, we depreciate cranes and aerial work platforms over a ten year estimated useful life, earthmoving over a five year estimated useful life with a 25% salvage value, and material handling equipment over a seven year estimated useful life. Attachments and other smaller type equipment are depreciated over a three year estimated useful life. We periodically evaluate the appropriateness of remaining depreciable lives assigned to rental equipment.

Rental Expense. Rental expense represents the costs associated with rental equipment, including, among other things, the cost of repairing and maintaining our rental equipment, property taxes on our fleet and other miscellaneous costs of owning rental equipment.

Rental Other. Rental other expenses consist primarily of equipment support activities that we provide our customers in connection with renting equipment, such as hauling services, damage waiver policies, environmental fees and other recovery fees.

New Equipment Sales. Cost of new equipment sold primarily consists of the equipment cost of the new equipment that is sold, net of any amount of credit given to the customer towards the equipment for trade-ins.

Used Equipment Sales. Cost of used equipment sold consists of the net book value of rental equipment for used equipment sold from our rental fleet, the equipment costs for used equipment we purchase for sale or the trade-in value of used equipment that we obtain from customers in equipment sales transactions.

Parts Sales. Cost of parts sales represents costs attributable to the sale of parts directly to customers.

Services Support. Cost of services revenues represents costs attributable to service provided for the maintenance and repair of customer-owned equipment and equipment then on-rent by customers.

Our non-segmented other expenses include costs associated with ancillary charges associated with equipment maintenance and repair services.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses:

Our SG&A expenses include sales and marketing expenses, payroll and related benefit costs, including stock compensation expense, insurance expenses, legal and professional fees, rent and other occupancy costs, property and other taxes, administrative overhead, depreciation associated with property and equipment (other than rental equipment) and amortization expense associated with intangible assets. These expenses are not generally allocated to our reportable segments.

Interest Expense:

Interest expense for the periods presented represents the interest on our outstanding debt instruments, including aggregate amounts outstanding under our revolving Credit Facility, senior unsecured notes and our finance lease obligations. Interest expense also includes interest on our outstanding manufacturer flooring plans payable, which are used to finance inventory and rental equipment purchases. Non-cash interest expense related to the amortization cost of deferred financing costs and the accretion/amortization of note discount/premium are also included in interest expense.

Principal Cash Flows

We generate cash primarily from our operating activities and, historically, we have used cash flows from operating activities, manufacturer floor plan financings and available borrowings under the Credit Facility as the primary sources of funds to purchase inventory and to fund working capital and capital expenditures, growth and expansion opportunities (see also “Liquidity and Capital Resources” below). Our management of our working capital is closely tied to operating cash flows, as working capital can be significantly impacted by, among other things, our accounts receivable activities, the level of new and used equipment inventories,

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which may increase or decrease in response to current and expected demand, and the size and timing of our trade accounts payable payment cycles.

Rental Fleet

A substantial portion of our overall value is in our rental fleet equipment. The net book value of our rental equipment at December 31, 2020 was $1.0 billion, or approximately 51.9% of our total assets. Our rental fleet as of December 31, 2020 consisted of 39,389 units having an original acquisition cost (which we define as the cost originally paid to manufacturers) of approximately $1.8 billion. As of December 31, 2020, our rental fleet composition was as follows (dollars in millions):

Determining the optimal age and mix for our rental fleet equipment is subjective and requires considerable estimates and judgments by management. We constantly evaluate the mix, age and quality of the equipment in our rental fleet in response to current economic and market conditions, competition and customer demand. The mix and age of our rental fleet, as well as our cash flows, are impacted by sales of equipment from the rental fleet, which are influenced by used equipment pricing at the retail and secondary auction market levels, and the capital expenditures to acquire new rental fleet equipment. In making equipment acquisition decisions, we evaluate current economic and market conditions, competition, manufacturers’ availability, pricing and return on investment over the estimated useful life of the specific equipment, among other things. As a result of our in-house service capabilities and extensive maintenance program, we believe our rental fleet is well-maintained.

The original acquisition cost of our gross rental fleet decreased by approximately $179.1 million, or 9.2%, for the year ended December 31, 2020, largely reflective of the decrease in rental capital expenditures in response to the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on equipment rental demand. The average age of our rental fleet equipment increased by approximately 4.6 months for the year ended December 31, 2020. Our average rental rates for the year ended December 31, 2020 were approximately 2.6% lower than the year ended December 31, 2019 (see further discussion on rental rates in “Results of Operations” below).

The rental equipment mix among our four core product lines for the year ended December 31, 2020 was largely consistent with that of the prior year comparable period as a percentage of total units available for rent and as a percentage of original acquisition cost.

Principal External Factors that Affect our Businesses

We are subject to a number of external factors that may adversely affect our businesses. These factors, and other factors, are discussed below and under the heading “Forward-Looking Statements,” and in Item 1A—Risk Factors in this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

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Critical Accounting Policies and Estimates

We prepare our consolidated financial statements in accordance with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America. The application of many accounting principles requires us to make assumptions, estimates and/or judgments that affect the reported amounts of assets, liabilities, revenues and expenses in our consolidated financial statements. We base our estimates and judgments on historical experience and other assumptions that we believe are reasonable under the circumstances. These assumptions, estimates and/or judgments, however, are often subjective and they and our actual results may change based on changing circumstances or changes in our analyses. If actual amounts are ultimately different from our estimates, the revisions are included in our results of operations for the period in which the actual amounts first become known. We believe the following critical accounting policies could potentially produce materially different results if we were to change underlying assumptions, estimates and/or judgments. See also note 2 to our consolidated financial statements for a summary of our significant accounting policies.

Useful Lives of Rental Equipment and Property and Equipment. We depreciate rental equipment and property and equipment over their estimated useful lives (generally three to ten years), after giving effect to an estimated salvage value ranging from 0% to 25% of cost. The useful life of rental equipment is determined based on our estimate of the period the asset will generate revenues, and the salvage value is determined based on our estimate of the minimum value we could realize from the asset after such period. We periodically review the assumptions utilized in computing rates of depreciation. We may be required to change these estimates based on changes in our industry or other changing circumstances. If these estimates change in the future, we may be required to recognize increased or decreased depreciation expense for these assets.

The amount of depreciation expense we record is highly dependent upon the estimated useful lives and the salvage values assigned to each category of rental equipment. Generally, we assign estimated useful lives to our rental fleet ranging from a three-year life, five-year life with a 25% salvage value, seven-year life and a ten-year life. Depreciation expense on our rental fleet for the year ended December 31, 2020 was approximately $233.8 million. For the year ended December 31, 2020, the estimated impact of a change in estimated useful lives for each category of equipment by two years was as follows:

For purposes of the sensitivity analysis above, we elected not to decrease the useful lives of other equipment, which are primarily three-year estimated useful life assets; rather, we have held the depreciation expense constant at the actual amount of depreciation expense. We believe that decreasing the life of the other equipment by two years is an unreasonable estimate and would potentially lead to the decision to expense, rather than capitalize, a significant portion of the subject asset class. In general terms, a one-year increase in the estimated life across all classes of our rental equipment will give rise to an approximate decrease in our annual depreciation expense of approximately $21.8 million. Additionally, a one-year decrease in the estimated life across all classes of our rental equipment (with the exception of other equipment as discussed above) will give rise to an approximate increase in our annual depreciation expense of approximately $42.7 million.

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Another significant assumption used in our calculation of depreciation expense is the estimated salvage value assigned to our earthmoving equipment. Based on our recent experience, we have used a 25% factor of the equipment’s original cost to estimate its salvage value. This factor is subjective and subject to change in the future based upon actual results at the time we dispose of the equipment. A change of 5%, either increase or decrease, in the estimated salvage value would result in a change in our annual depreciation expense of approximately $4.3 million.

Acquisition Accounting. We have made significant acquisitions in the past and we intend to make additional acquisitions in the future that meet our selection criteria that solidify our presence in the contiguous regions where we operate with an objective of increasing our revenues, improving our profitability, and strengthening our competitive position. Pursuant to Topic 350, Intangibles-Goodwill and Other, we record as goodwill the excess of the consideration transferred plus the fair value of any non-controlling interest in the acquiree at the acquisition date over the fair values of the identifiable net assets acquired. Such fair market value assessments require judgments and estimates that can be affected by various factors over time, which may cause final amounts to differ materially from original estimates.

Long-lived assets (principally rental equipment), goodwill and other intangible assets generally represent the largest component of our acquisitions. Historically, virtually all of the rental equipment that we have acquired through business combinations have been classified as “To be Used,” rather than as “To be Sold.” Equipment that we acquire and classify as “To be Used” is recorded at fair value. Any significant inventories of new and used equipment acquired in the transaction are valued at fair value, which should approximate a market participant’s estimated selling price adjusted for (1) costs in the selling effort and (2) a reasonable profit allowance.

In addition to long-lived fixed assets, we also acquire other assets and assume liabilities. These other assets and liabilities typically include, but are not limited to, parts inventory, accounts receivable, accounts payable and other working capital items. Because of their short-term nature, the fair values of these assets and liabilities generally approximate the carrying values reflected on the acquired entities balance sheets. However, when appropriate, we adjust these carrying values for factors such as collectibility and existence. The intangible assets that we have acquired generally consist primarily of the goodwill recognized. Depending upon the applicable purchase agreement and the particular facts and circumstances of the business acquired, we may identify other intangible assets, such as trade names or trademarks, non-compete agreements and customer-related intangibles (specifically, customer relationships). A trademark has a fair value equal to the present value of the royalty income attributable to it. The royalty income attributable to a trademark represents the hypothetical cost savings that are derived from owning the trademark instead of paying royalties to license the trademark from another owner. When specifically negotiated by the parties in the applicable purchase agreements, we base the value of non-compete agreements on the amounts assigned to them in the purchase agreements as these amounts represent the amounts negotiated in an arm’s length transaction. When not negotiated by the parties in the applicable purchase agreements, the fair value of non-compete agreements is estimated based on an income approach since their values are representative of the current and future revenue and profit erosion protection they provide. Customer relationships are generally valued based on an excess earnings or income approach with consideration to projected cash flows.

Evaluation of Goodwill Impairment. We have made acquisitions in the past that resulted in the recognition of goodwill. Goodwill is the excess of the consideration transferred plus the fair value of any non-controlling interest in the acquiree at the acquisition date over the fair values of the identifiable net assets acquired. We evaluate goodwill for impairment annually or more frequently if triggering events occur or other impairment indicators arise which might impair recoverability.

Application of the goodwill impairment test requires judgment, including: the identification of reporting units; assignment of assets and liabilities to reporting units; assignment of goodwill to reporting units; determination of the fair value of each reporting unit; and an assumption as to the form of the transaction in which the reporting unit would be acquired by a market participant (either a taxable or nontaxable transaction). Impairment of goodwill is evaluated at the reporting unit level. A reporting unit is defined as an operating segment (i.e., before aggregation or combination), or one level below an operating segment (i.e., a component). A component of an operating segment is a reporting unit if the component constitutes a business for which discrete financial information is available and segment management regularly reviews the operating results of that component. We have identified two components within our Rental operating segment (Equipment Rentals Component 1 and Equipment Rentals Component 2) and have determined that each of our other four operating segments (New Equipment, Used Equipment, Parts, and Service segments) represents a reporting unit, resulting in six total reporting units.

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As of December 31, 2020, our goodwill was comprised of the following carrying values for our six reporting units (amounts in thousands):

During 2018, we performed, as of October 1, our annual impairment testing date, a Step 0 qualitative assessment and determined that it was more likely than not that the fair value of each of our reporting units was not less than its carrying value and, therefore, did not perform the prescribed quantitative Step 1 goodwill impairment test. We considered various factors in performing the qualitative test, including macroeconomic conditions, industry and market considerations, the overall financial performance of our reporting units, the Company’s stock price and the excess amount or “cushion” between our reporting unit’s fair value and carrying value as indicated on our most recent quantitative assessment.

We performed a Step 1 quantitative assessment of goodwill impairment as of October 1, 2019, our annual impairment test date. Based on this quantitative test, we determined that the New Equipment Sales and Service Revenues reporting units were less than the carrying value of each reporting unit, resulting in a goodwill impairment totaling $12.2 million, or $10.7 million and $1.5 million for the New Equipment Sales and Service Revenues reporting units, respectively. The New Equipment Sales reporting unit 2019 impairment was largely due to a sharp decline in our 2019 fourth quarter new equipment sales revenues as over 75% of our full-year new equipment sales decline occurred in the fourth quarter. The fourth quarter new equipment sales decline was primarily driven by lower new crane sales, which were down 28.7%, or $12.0 million. As noted elsewhere in this Annual Report on Form 10-K, we believe that demand for cranes is impacted by oil prices and while oil prices have partially recovered from their low point in 2016, which represented a 13-year low at the time, there remains considerable uncertainty regarding future oil prices and this uncertainty impacts customer capital expenditure decisions. This fourth quarter decline in new equipment sales, combined with our new equipment sales revenues growth rate and operating results assumptions for the forecast period under the income approach, resulted in a fair value determination, that when combined with the weighted fair value of the reporting unit determined under the market approach, was less than the reporting unit’s carrying value as of October 1, 2019, resulting in a $10.7 million impairment charge.

The impairment of the Service Revenues reporting unit was largely due to our service revenues growth rate and operating results assumptions for the forecast period under the income approach, which resulted in a fair value determination, that when combined with the weighted fair value of the reporting unit determined under the market approach, was less than the reporting unit’s carrying value as of October 1, 2019, resulting in a $1.5 million impairment charge. The impairment charges are non-cash items and does not affect our cash flows, liquidity or borrowing capacity under the senior credit facility, and the charges are excluded from our financial results in evaluating our financial covenant under the Credit Facility.

Based on our evaluation of the impact to our business in the first quarter of 2020 from the COVID-19 pandemic, we identified triggering events requiring an interim impairment test as of March 31, 2020. These triggering events included a deterioration in macroeconomic conditions, declines in business volume in our industry, a decline in our actual revenue and earnings compared with our planned revenue and earnings, and a sustained decrease in our stock price. For the interim impairment test as of March 31, 2020, we determined that our Equipment Rental Component 2 reporting unit had a fair value less than its carrying value, resulting in a $62.0 million impairment charge. The impairment was largely due to Equipment Rental Component 2’s forecasted declines in 2020 rental revenues, which was driven by the decrease in equipment rental demand that began in March 2020 as COVID-19’s impact became more widespread across our geographic footprint, combined with our revenue growth rate and cash flow assumptions as of March 31, 2020, for the remaining forecast period under the income approach, and the decline in the fair value of Equipment Rental Component 2 based on the market approach from declining business enterprise values of comparable companies in our industry, resulting in a decrease in revenue and EBITDA multiples of those companies. The impairment charge is a non-cash item and does not affect our cash flows, liquidity or borrowing capacity under the senior credit facility, and the charge is excluded from our financial results in evaluating our financial covenant under the Credit Facility.

We performed a Step 1 quantitative assessment of goodwill impairment as of October 1, 2020, our annual impairment test date. For all reporting units, we compared the carrying values of each reporting unit, inclusive of goodwill and definite-lived intangible assets, to its fair value. We estimated the fair value of these reporting units by weighting results from the income approach and the market approach, as further described below. Based on this quantitative test, we determined that our Equipment Rental Component 1, Used Equipment Sales and Parts Sales reporting units were not impaired as of the October 1, 2020 annual impairment testing date as their respective fair values exceeded their respective carrying values by approximately 44%, 90% and 33%, respectively.

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For purposes of performing the quantitative impairment test described above, we estimate the fair value of our reporting units by utilizing fair value techniques consistent with the income approach and market approach. When performing the income approach for each reporting unit, we use a discounted cash flow analysis based on our internal projected results of operations, weighted average cost of capital (“WACC”) and terminal value assumptions. Our cash flow projections are based on ten-year financial forecasts developed by management that include revenue projections, capital spending trends, and investment in working capital to support anticipated revenue growth. The WACC is an estimate of the overall after-tax rate of return required by equity and debt holders of a business enterprise and represents the expected cost of new capital likely to be used by market participants. The WACC is used to discount our combined future cash flows. The inputs and variables used in determining the fair value of a reporting unit require management to make certain assumptions regarding the impact of operating and macroeconomic changes, as well as estimates of future cash flows. Our estimates regarding future cash flows are based on historical experience and projections of future operating performance, including revenues, margins and operating expenses. We also make certain forecasts about future economic conditions, interest rates and other market data. Many of the factors used in assessing fair value are outside the control of management, and these assumptions and estimates may change in future periods. Changes in assumptions or estimates could materially affect the estimate of a reporting unit’s fair value, and therefore could affect the likelihood and amount of potential impairment. Under the market approach, we compare the reporting units to selected reasonably similar (or "guideline") publicly-traded companies. Under this method, valuation multiples are: (i) derived from the operating data of selected guideline companies; (ii) evaluated and adjusted based on the strengths and weaknesses of our reporting unit relative to the selected guideline companies; and (iii) applied to the operating data of our reporting unit to arrive at an indication of value. The application of the market approach results in an estimate of the price reasonably expected to be realized from the sale of the reporting unit.

Impairment of Long-lived Assets (Excluding Goodwill). Our long-lived assets principally consist of rental equipment and property and equipment. We review our long-lived assets for impairment whenever events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying amount of an asset may not be recoverable. In reviewing for impairment, the carrying value of such assets is compared to the estimated undiscounted future cash flows expected from the use of the assets and their eventual disposition. If such cash flows are not sufficient to support the asset’s recorded value, an impairment charge is recognized to reduce the carrying value of the asset to its estimated fair value. The determination of future cash flows as well as the estimated fair value of long-lived and intangible assets involves significant estimates and judgment on the part of management. Our estimates and assumptions may prove to be inaccurate due to factors such as changes in economic conditions, changes in our business prospects or other changing circumstances.

In support of our review for indicators of impairment, we perform a review of our long-lived assets at the branch level relative to branch performance and conclude whether indicators of impairment exist associated with our long-lived assets, including our rental and non-rental equipment and right-of-use assets. Based on our most recently completed quarterly reviews, there were no indications of impairment associated with our long-lived assets (excluding goodwill).

Income Taxes. The Company files a consolidated federal income tax return with its wholly-owned subsidiaries. The Company is a C-Corporation under the provisions of the Internal Revenue Code. We utilize the asset and liability approach to measure deferred tax assets and liabilities based on temporary differences existing at each balance sheet date using currently enacted tax rates. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are recognized for the future tax consequences attributable to differences between the financial statement carrying amounts of existing assets and liabilities and their respective tax bases. Deferred tax assets and liabilities are measured using enacted tax rates expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which those temporary differences are expected to be recovered or settled. The effect of a change in tax rate is recognized as income or expense in the period that includes the enactment date of that tax rate.

The Company recognizes the effect of an income tax position only if it is more likely than not (a likelihood of greater than 50%) that such position will be sustained. Recognized income tax positions are measured at the largest amount that is greater than 50% likely of being realized. Changes in recognition or measurement are reflected in the period in which the change in judgment occurs. The Company recognizes both interest and penalties related to uncertain tax positions in net other income (expense).

Our deferred tax calculation requires management to make certain estimates about future operations. Deferred tax assets are reduced by a valuation allowance when, in the opinion of management, it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred tax assets will not be realized.

Our U.S. federal tax returns for 2017 and subsequent years remain subject to examination by tax authorities. We are also subject to examination in various state jurisdictions for 2013 and subsequent years.

Results of Operations

The tables included in the period-to-period comparisons below provide summaries of our revenues and gross profits for our business segments and non-segmented revenues for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019. The period-to-period comparisons of our financial results are not necessarily indicative of future results.

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Our prior year discussion for the years ended December 31, 2019 and 2018 can be found here, in Item 7 of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the year ended December 31, 2019, which is incorporated by reference herein.

Year Ended December 31, 2020 Compared to the Year Ended December 31, 2019

Revenues.

Total Revenues. Our total revenues were $1.2 billion for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $1.3 billion for the year ended December 31, 2019, a decrease of $179.2 million, or 13.3%. Revenues of all reportable segments and non-segmented other revenues are further discussed below.

Equipment Rental Revenues. Our total revenues from equipment rentals for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $103.4 million, or 13.5%, to $663.0 million from $766.4 million in 2019. The decrease in equipment rental revenues was largely due to decreased demand from the impact of the COVID-19 economic downturn.

Rentals: Rental revenues decreased $96.1 million, or 13.8%, to $598.4 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $694.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Rental revenues from aerial work platform equipment decreased $36.1 million, material handling equipment rental revenues decreased $21.7 million, and rental revenues from earthmoving equipment decreased $14.3 million. Other equipment rental revenues and crane rental revenues decreased $13.9 million and $5.4 million, respectively, as compared to the prior period.  The product line equipment rental revenue fluctuations above do not include the impact of legacy WRI equipment rental revenues of $4.7 million for February 2019 through April 2019.

Our average rental rates, based on the American Rental Association’s calculation methodology, for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased 2.6% compared to the year ended December 31, 2019. Our average rental rates for the year ended December 31, 2019 do not include the impact of legacy WRI equipment rental revenues for February 2019 through April 2019.

Rental equipment dollar utilization (annual rental revenues divided by the average original rental fleet equipment costs) for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased 4.2% to 32.1% from 36.3% in 2019. The decrease in comparative rental equipment dollar utilization was primarily the result of the decrease in equipment rental rates as noted above and a decrease in rental equipment time utilization. Rental equipment time utilization as a percentage of original equipment cost was approximately 63.2% for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to 70.4% in the year ended December 31, 2019, a decrease of 7.2%, largely attributable to the decrease in demand due to the economic downturn surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic.

Rentals Other: Our rentals other revenues consist primarily of equipment support activities that we provide to customers in connection with renting equipment, such as hauling charges, damage waiver policies, environmental and other recovery fees. Rental other revenues for the year ended December 31, 2020 were $64.6 million compared to $71.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, a decrease of $7.2 million, or 10.1%, primarily due to the decrease in equipment rental revenues as described above.

New Equipment Sales Revenues. Our new equipment sales for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $72.0 million, or 30.1%, to $167.1 million from $239.1 million in 2019. This decrease, as noted below, was driven primarily by decreased sales of new cranes from continuing uncertainty related to oil and gas prices, and decreases in sales of our other product lines as customers have delayed, and in some cases, canceled large capital purchases due to the uncertainty surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic. Sales of new cranes decreased $53.4 million. Sales of new material handling equipment, earthmoving equipment and aerial work platform

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equipment decreased $14.5 million, $5.8 million and $2.9 million, respectively. Partially offsetting these decreases, sales of new other equipment sales increased $4.7 million.

Used Equipment Sales Revenues. Our used equipment sales increased $13.8 million, or 9.9%, to $153.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, from $139.3 million for the same period in 2019. This increase in used equipment sales reflects some downsizing of our rental fleet in response to COVID-19’s impact on rental demand combined with improved customer demand for used equipment. Sales of used earthmoving equipment, used material handling equipment and other used equipment sales increased $12.2 million, $3.5 million and $2.6 million, respectively. Partially offsetting these increases were decreases of used cranes and used aerial work platform equipment of $3.1 million and $1.4 million, respectively.

Parts Sales Revenues. Our parts sales revenues decreased $13.3 million, or 10.7%, to $110.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 from $123.9 million for the same period in 2019. The decrease in parts sales was largely attributable to decreases in equipment parts sales across all product lines, reflecting the COVID-19 impacts on our parts business.

Services Revenues. Our services revenues for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $3.7 million, or 5.4%, to $64.3 million from $67.9 million in the same period last year. The decrease in service revenues was largely attributable to decreases in earthmoving equipment, aerial work platforms and material handling equipment services.

Non-Segmented Other Revenues. Our non-segmented other revenues relate to equipment support activities that we provide to customers in connection with new and used equipment sales and parts and services revenues and are generally not allocated to our reportable segments. For the year ended December 31, 2020, our other revenues were $11.0 million, a decrease of approximately $0.8 million, or 6.6%, from $11.8 million in 2019.

Gross Profit.

Total Gross Profit. Our total gross profit was $402.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $499.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, a decrease of $96.6 million, or 19.3%. Total gross profit margin for the year ended December 31, 2020 was approximately 34.4%, a decrease of 2.6% from the 37.0% gross profit margin for the same period in 2019. Gross profit and gross margin for all reportable segments and non-segmented other revenues are further described below.

Equipment Rentals Gross Profit. Our total gross profit from equipment rentals for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $83.0 million, or 23.9%, to approximately $263.9 million from $346.9 million in 2019. Total gross profit margin from equipment rentals for the year ended December 31, 2020 was approximately 39.8% compared to 45.3% for the year ended December 31, 2019, a decrease of 5.5%. See Rentals and Rentals Other below for additional information.

Rentals: Rental revenue gross profit decreased $81.1 million to $264.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $345.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. The decrease in equipment rentals gross profit was the result of a $96.1 million decrease in equipment rental revenues for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to last year, which was partially offset by a $10.0 million decrease in rental equipment depreciation expense and $5.0 million decrease in rental expenses. The decreases in rental equipment depreciation expense and rental expenses are primarily due to a smaller fleet size in 2020 compared to 2019 due to the decrease in capital expenditures in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Gross profit margin on equipment rentals for the year ended December 31, 2020 was approximately 44.2% compared to 49.8% in 2019, a decrease of 5.6%. As a percentage of equipment

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rental revenues, rental expenses were 16.7% and 15.1% for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, an increase of 1.6%. Depreciation expense was 39.1% of equipment rental revenues for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to 35.1% for the same period in 2019, an increase of 4.0%. These increases are primarily the result of decreases in rental revenues.

Rentals Other: Our rentals other consist primarily of equipment support activities that we provide to customers in connection with renting equipment, such as hauling charges, damage waiver policies, environmental and other recovery fees. Rental other revenues gross loss for the year ended December 31, 2020 was $0.6 million compared to a gross profit of $1.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, a decrease of $1.8 million. Gross loss margin was 1.0% for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to a gross profit margin of 1.7% for the same period last year, a decrease of 2.7%.

New Equipment Sales Gross Profit. Our new equipment sales gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2020 decreased $9.7 million, or 34.8%, to $18.1 million compared to $27.7 million in 2019 on a decrease in total new equipment sales of $72.0 million. Gross profit margin on new equipment sales for the year ended December 31, 2020 was approximately 10.8%, a decrease of 0.8% from 11.6% in 2019. The decrease in gross profit margin was primarily due to the mix of new equipment sold combined with lower gross margins on new crane sales and new earthmoving equipment sales.

Used Equipment Sales Gross Profit. Our used equipment sales gross profit for the year ended December 31, 2020 increased approximately $1.2 million, or 2.6%, to $48.6 million from $47.3 million in 2019, on a used equipment sales increase of $13.8 million. Gross profit margin on used equipment sales for the year ended December 31, 2020 was 31.7%, down 2.3% from 34.0% for the year ended December 31, 2019, primarily as a result of lower gross margins on all product lines.

Our used equipment sales from the rental fleet, which comprised approximately 92.4% and 91.5% of our used equipment sales for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively, were approximately 150.8% and 157.6% of net book value for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019, respectively.

Parts Sales Gross Profit. For the year ended December 31, 2020, our parts sales revenue gross profit decreased $4.5 million, or 13.5%, to $28.4 million from $32.9 million for the same period in 2019, on a $13.3 million decrease in parts sales revenues. Gross profit margin on parts sales for the year ended December 31, 2020 was 25.7%, a decrease of approximately 0.8% from 26.6% in the same period in 2019, resulting from the mix of parts sold.

Services Revenues Gross Profit. For the year ended December 31, 2020, our services revenues gross profit decreased $2.9 million, or 6.3%, to $43.1 million from $46.0 million for the same period in 2019, on a $3.7 million decrease in services revenues. Gross profit margin on services revenues for the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 was 67.0% and 67.7%, respectively, a decrease of 0.7%, as a result of services revenues mix.

Non-Segmented Other Gross Profit (Loss). Our non-segmented other revenues relate to equipment support activities that we provide to customers in connection with new and used equipment sales and parts and services revenues and are not generally allocated to our reportable segments. Our non-segmented other gross profit was approximately $0.5 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to a gross loss of $1.6 million for the same period last year, an increase of $2.2 million.

Selling, General and Administrative Expenses. SG&A expenses decreased approximately $21.8 million, or 7.0%, to $289.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $311.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2019.

The net decrease in SG&A expenses was attributable to several factors. Employee salaries, wages, payroll taxes and related employee benefit and other employee expenses decreased $22.2 million, primarily as a result of lower commissions and incentive pay combined with headcount reductions and reduced employee hours in response to COVID-19’s impact to our business. Promotional expenses decreased $2.1 million. Bad debt expense decreased $1.7 million and supplies expense decreased $1.2 million. Non-real estate lease operating expenses decreased $1.5 million and fuel and utilities costs decreased $0.7 million. These decreases were partially offset by a $6.4 million increase in liability insurance costs, a $0.7 million increase in depreciation and amortization expenses and a $0.6 million increase in legal and professional fees.

Approximately $4.4 million of incremental SG&A expenses were attributable to branches opened since January 1, 2019 with less than a full year of comparable operations in either or both of the years ended December 31, 2020 and 2019.

As a percentage of total revenues, SG&A expenses were 24.7% for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to 23.1% for the year ended December 31, 2019, an increase of approximately 1.7%.

Impairment of Goodwill. Impairment of goodwill incurred in the year ended December 31, 2020 was $62.0 million, compared to $12.2 million in 2019. The 2020 impairment related to one reporting unit, Equipment Rental Component 1. The 2019 impairment

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related to two of our six reporting units, New Equipment Sales and Service Revenues. See note 2 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information.

Gain on Sales of Property and Equipment, Net. During the year ended December 31, 2020, gain on sales of property and equipment, net amounted to $11.0 million for the period, compared to $4.6 million for the year ended December 31, 2019, an increase of approximately $6.3 million. This increase is primarily due to a gain on a sale-leaseback transaction in the first quarter of 2020, a gain on a company-owned closed branch location in the second quarter of 2020 and gains on sales in the normal course of business.

Other Income (Expense). For the year ended December 31, 2020, our net other expenses increased approximately $38.9 million to $103.2 million compared to $64.3 million for the same period in 2019.

During the year ended December 31, 2020, we recognized a $44.6 million loss due to the early extinguishment of our Old Notes. For additional information regarding the extinguishment of our Old Notes and the issuance of our New Notes, see note 9 to our consolidated financial statements.

Interest expense decreased approximately $6.5 million to $61.8 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $68.3 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Interest costs related to the Credit Facility decreased $7.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to the same period last year. The decrease in Credit Facility interest costs is largely due to lower borrowings in 2020 compared to 2019.

Other income, net, decreased $0.8 million to $3.2 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to $4.0 million for the year ended December 31, 2020, primarily attributable to proceeds from a favorable litigation settlement in 2019.

Income Taxes. We recorded an income tax benefit of $8.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2020 compared to an income tax expense of approximately $28.7 million for the year ended December 31, 2019. Our effective income tax rate for the year ended December 31, 2020 was 21.1% compared to 24.7% for the same period last year, a decrease of 3.6%.  The decrease in our effective tax rate is primarily due to the net change in permanent differences in relation to profit before tax. Our rate for the year ended December 31, 2020 includes the impact of $2.6 million income tax expense related to nondeductible goodwill impairment.

On March 27, 2020, the CARES Act was signed into law. The income tax related provisions of the CARES Act did not have a material impact to our recorded income tax benefit for the year ended December 31, 2020. See note 12 to the consolidated financial statements for a discussion of the CARES Act’s favorable cash impact to our liquidity. We are continuing to evaluate any further impact that the CARES Act may have on the Company’s future operations, financial position and liquidity.

Based on available evidence, both positive and negative, we believe it is more likely than not that our federal deferred tax assets at December 31, 2020 are fully realizable through future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences and future taxable income.  For the year ended December 31, 2020, we recorded a valuation allowance of $6.4 million for certain state tax credits that may not be realized.

Liquidity and Capital Resources

Cash Flow from Operating Activities. For the year ended December 31, 2020, the cash provided by our operating activities was $286.0 million. Our reported net loss of $32.7 million, when adjusted for non-cash income and expense items, such as depreciation and amortization (including net amortization (accretion) of note discount (premium)), deferred income taxes, non-cash operating lease expense, amortization of finance lease right-of-use assets, provision for losses on accounts receivable, provision for inventory obsolescence, stock-based compensation expense, goodwill impairment, loss on early extinguishment of debt and net gains on the sale of long-lived assets, provided positive cash flows of $296.2 million. These cash flows from operating activities were positively impacted by a $9.3 million decrease in receivables and a $31.0 million increase in accounts payable. Partially offsetting these positive cash flows were a $23.2 million decrease in accrued expenses and other liabilities, a $9.5 million increase in inventories, and a $15.6 million decrease in manufacturing flooring plans payable. Additionally, prepaid expenses and other assets increased $0.1 million and deferred compensation payable decreased $2.1 million.

For the year ended December 31, 2019, the cash provided by our operating activities was $319.2 million. Our reported net income of $87.2 million, when adjusted for non-cash income and expense items, such as depreciation and amortization (including net amortization (accretion) of note discount (premium)), deferred income taxes, non-cash operating lease expense, amortization of finance lease right-of-use assets, provision for losses on accounts receivable, provision for inventory obsolescence, stock-based compensation expense, goodwill impairment and net gains on the sale of long-lived assets, provided positive cash flows of $375.5 million. These cash flows from operating activities were positively impacted by a $9.2 million decrease in receivables. Also, prepaid expenses and other assets decreased $0.3 million. Additionally, manufacturing flooring plans payable and deferred compensation

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increased $1.5 million and $0.1 million, respectfully. Partially offsetting these positive cash flows were a $19.6 million increase in inventories, a $43.4 million decrease in accounts payable and a $4.4 million decrease in accrued expenses and other liabilities.

Cash Flow from Investing Activities. For the year ended December 31, 2020, net cash provided by our investing activities were approximately $21.1 million. The purchases of rental and non-rental equipment totaled approximately $135.0 million and proceeds from the sale of rental and non-rental equipment were approximately $156.1 million.

For the year ended December 31, 2019, our cash provided by our investing activities was exceeded by our cash used in our investing activities, resulting in net cash used in our investing activities of approximately $325.9 million. The acquisition of WRI totaled approximately $106.7 million (net of cash acquired) and purchases of rental and non-rental equipment totaled approximately $352.8 million, which were partially offset by proceeds from the sale of rental and non-rental equipment of approximately $133.6 million.

Cash Flow from Financing Activities. For the year ended December 31, 2020, our cash provided by our financing activities was exceeded by our cash used in financing activities, resulting in net cash used in our financing activities of $10.5 million. Net payments under our Credit Facility for the year ended December 31, 2019 were $216.9 million, dividends paid were $39.6 million, or $1.10 per common share, treasury stock purchases were approximately $1.4 million, and payments on finance lease obligations were $0.2 million. In connection with the issuance of our New Notes, gross proceeds were $1.25 billion, which were primarily used to tender and redeem our Old Notes totaling $990.9 million, representing aggregate principal payments of $950.0 million and tender and redemption premiums totaling approximately $40.9 million. Deferred financing costs paid in connection with the issuance of the New Notes totaled $11.4 million.

For the year ended December 31, 2019, net cash provided by our financing activities was $4.3 million. Net borrowings under our Credit Facility for the year ended December 31, 2019 were $46.1 million, which was partially offset by dividends paid totaling $39.4 million, or $1.10 per common share, treasury stock purchases totaling approximately $1.7 million, payments on finance lease obligations of $0.2 million and payments of deferred financing costs of $0.6 million.

Senior Unsecured Notes

On December 14, 2020, we completed the offering of our $1.25 billion, 3.875% senior unsecured notes due 2028 (the “New Notes”), and the settlement of a cash tender offer and redemption notice to repurchase or redeem all of our previously outstanding $950 million, 5.625% senior unsecured notes due 2025 (the “Old Notes”). No principal payments on the New Notes are due until their scheduled maturity date (December 15, 2028).

The New Notes were issued by H&E Equipment Services, Inc. (the parent company) and are guaranteed by GNE Investments, Inc. and its wholly‑owned subsidiaries Great Northern Equipment, Inc., H&E Equipment Services (California), LLC, H&E California Holding, Inc., H&E Equipment Services (Mid-Atlantic), Inc. and H&E Finance Corp (collectively, the guarantor subsidiaries). The guarantees, made on a joint and several basis, are full and unconditional (subject to subordination provisions and subject to a standard limitation which provides that the maximum amount guaranteed by each guarantor will not exceed the maximum amount that can be guaranteed without making the guarantee void under fraudulent conveyance laws). There are no restrictions on H&E Equipment Services, Inc.’s ability to obtain funds from the guarantor subsidiaries by dividend or loan. There are no registration rights associated with the New Notes or the subsidiary guarantees.

For additional information regarding our senior unsecured notes, see note 9 to our consolidated financial statements.

Senior Secured Credit Facility

We and our subsidiaries are parties to a $750.0 million Credit Facility with Wells Fargo Capital Finance, LLC as Agent, and the lenders named therein.

On December 22, 2017, we amended, extended and restated the Credit Facility by entering into the Fifth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “Amended and Restated Credit Agreement”). On February 1, 2019, we further amended and extended the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement with the First Amendment to the Fifth Amended and Restated Credit Agreement (the “First Amendment”). The First Amendment, among other things, (i) extends the maturity date of the credit facility to February 1, 2024, and (ii) lowers the interest rate in the case of LIBOR revolving loans, to LIBOR plus an applicable margin of 1.25% to 1.75%, depending on the Average Availability and (iii) lowers the interest rate in the case of Base Rate loans, to the Base Rate (as defined in the Amended and Restated Credit Agreement) plus an applicable margin of 0.25% to 0.75%, depending on the Average Availability.

At December 31, 2020, we had no borrowings under the Credit Facility and we could borrow up to $741.3 million and remain in compliance with the debt covenants under the Company’s credit facility. At February 10, 2021, we had $741.3 million of available

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borrowings under our Credit Facility, net of an $8.7 million outstanding letter of credit. We do not anticipate any near-term impacts to our liquidity under the Credit Facility as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, nor do we anticipate any covenant violations related to the Credit Facility. See also Cash Requirements Related to Operations below.

For additional information regarding our senior secured credit facility, see note 10 to our consolidated financial statements.

Cash Requirements Related to Operations

Our principal sources of liquidity have been from cash provided by operating activities and the sales of new, used and rental fleet equipment, proceeds from the issuance of debt, and borrowings available under the Credit Facility. Our principal uses of cash have been to fund operating activities and working capital (including new and used equipment inventories), purchases of rental fleet equipment and property and equipment, fund payments due under facility operating leases and manufacturer flooring plans payable, fund acquisitions and to meet debt service requirements. In the future, we may pursue additional strategic acquisitions and seek to open new start-up locations, the frequency of which could be tempered depending on the depth and duration of the current COVID-19 pandemic.

The amount of our future capital expenditures will depend on a number of factors including general economic conditions and growth prospects. In response to changing economic conditions, we believe we have the flexibility to modify our capital expenditures by adjusting them (either up or down) to match our actual performance. Our gross rental fleet capital expenditures for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 were approximately $138.7 million and $349.1 million, respectively, including $22.4 million and $39.5 million, respectively, of non-cash transfers from new and used equipment to rental fleet inventory. Our gross property and equipment capital expenditures for the year ended December 31, 2020 and 2019 were $18.7 million and $43.1 million, respectively. The above comparative capital expenditures are reflective of the significant decreases in our capital expenditures as a result of the downturn in our business and continuing economic uncertainty related to COVID-19.

To service our debt, we will require a significant amount of cash. Our ability to pay interest and principal on our indebtedness (including the Credit Facility, the New Notes and our other indebtedness), will depend upon our future operating performance and the availability of borrowings under the Credit Facility and/or other debt and equity financing alternatives available to us, which will be affected by prevailing economic conditions and conditions in the global credit and capital markets, as well as financial, business and other factors, some of which are beyond our control. Based on our current level of operations and given the current state of the capital markets, we believe our cash flow from operations, available cash and available borrowings under the Credit Facility will be adequate to meet our future liquidity needs for the foreseeable future. At December 31, 2020, we have cash on hand of approximately $310.9 million. At December 31, 2020, we had available borrowings of $741.3 million, net of $8.7 million of outstanding letters of credit, compared to $525.4 million at December 31, 2019, net of $7.7 million of outstanding letters of credit. At February 10, 2021, we had $741.3 million of available borrowings under the Credit Facility, net of an $8.7 million of outstanding letters of credit. These sequential improvements in the amounts we have available for borrowing under the Credit Facility since December 31, 2019 are substantially due to the decrease in capital expenditures as noted in the preceding paragraph. We do not expect our liquidity to be materially negatively impacted by the current COVID-19 pandemic.

Quarterly Dividend

On each of February 14, 2020, May 20, 2020, August 11, 2020 and November 10, 2020, the Company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.275 per share to stockholders of record, which were paid on March 13, 2020, June 12, 2020, September 11, 2020 and December 11, 2020, respectively, totaling approximately $39.6 million. On February 11, 2021, the Company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.275 per share to stockholders of record as of the close of business on February 26, 2021, which is to be paid on March 12, 2021.

The Company intends to continue to pay regular quarterly cash dividends; however, the declaration of any subsequent dividends is discretionary and will be subject to a final determination by the Board of Directors each quarter after its review of, among other things, business and market conditions.

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Certain Information Concerning Off-Balance Sheet Arrangements

An off-balance sheet arrangement is any transaction, agreement or other contractual arrangement involving an unconsolidated entity under which a company has (1) made guarantees, (2) a retained or a contingent interest in transferred assets, (3) an obligation under derivative instruments classified as equity or (4) any obligation arising out of a material variable interest in an unconsolidated entity that provides financing, liquidity, market risk or credit risk support to the Company, or that engages in leasing, hedging or research and development arrangements with the Company.

We have no off-balance sheet arrangements as described above. Further, we do not have any relationships with unconsolidated entities or financial partnerships, such as entities often referred to as structured finance or special purpose entities, which would have been established for the purpose of facilitating off-balance sheet arrangements or other contractually narrow or limited purposes. We are, therefore, not materially exposed to any financing, liquidity, market or credit risk that could arise if we had engaged in such relationships. We have also evaluated our relationships with related parties and determined that none of the related party interests represent variable interest entities pursuant to Topic 810, Consolidation.

Contractual and Commercial Commitments

Our contractual obligations and commercial commitments principally include obligations associated with our outstanding indebtedness and interest payments as of December 31, 2020.

As of December 31, 2020, we had standby letters of credit issued under our Credit Facility totaling $8.7 million that expire in May 2021. The Company expects to renew those letters of credit under similar terms upon their expiration.

Inflation

Although we cannot accurately anticipate the effect of inflation on our operations, we believe that inflation has not had for the three most recent fiscal years ended, and is not likely in the foreseeable future to have, a material impact on our results of operations.

Acquisitions and Start-up Facilities

We periodically engage in evaluations of potential acquisitions and start-up facilities. We intend to continue to evaluate and pursue, on an opportunistic basis, acquisitions that meet our selection criteria, and we are focused on identifying and acquiring rental companies to complement our existing business, broaden our geographic footprint, and increase our density in existing markets.

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Effective January 1, 2018, we completed the acquisition of CEC, a privately-held company focused on non-residential construction equipment rentals serving the greater Denver, Colorado area out of three branch locations. Effective April 1, 2018, we completed the acquisition of Rental Inc., an equipment rental and distribution company with five branch locations in Alabama and Florida. Effective February 1, 2019, we completed the acquisition of WRI, an equipment rental company with six branch locations in Central Texas.  See note 3 to the consolidated financial statements for additional information on these acquisitions.

The success of our growth strategy depends, in part, on selecting strategic acquisition candidates at attractive prices and identifying strategic start-up locations. We expect to face competition for acquisition candidates, which may limit the number of acquisition opportunities and lead to higher acquisition costs. We may not have the financial resources necessary to consummate any acquisitions or to successfully open any new facilities in the future or the ability to obtain the necessary funds on satisfactory terms. For further information regarding our risks related to acquisitions, see Item 1A – Risk Factors of this Annual Report on Form 10-K.

Our earnings may be affected by changes in interest rates since interest expense on the Credit Facility is currently calculated based upon (a) the Base Rate plus an applicable margin of 0.25% to 0.75%, depending on the Average Availability (as defined in the Credit Facility), in the case of index rate revolving loans and (b) LIBOR plus an applicable margin of 1.25% to 1.75%, depending on the Average Availability (as defined in the Credit Facility), in the case of LIBOR revolving loans.

At December 31, 2020, we had no outstanding borrowings under the Credit Facility. At February 10, 2021, we had no outstanding borrowings, with $741.3 million of available borrowings, net of an $8.7 million of outstanding letters of credit.  We did not have significant exposure to changing interest rates as of December 31, 2020 on the fixed-rate senior unsecured notes.  Historically, we have not engaged in derivatives or other financial instruments for trading, speculative or hedging purposes, though we may do so from time to time if such instruments are available to us on acceptable terms and prevailing market conditions are accommodating.

Index to consolidated financial statements of H&E Equipment Services, Inc. and Subsidiaries

See note 17 to the consolidated financial statements for summarized quarterly financial data.

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Report of Independent Registered Public Accounting Firm

Shareholders and Board of Directors

H&E Equipment Services, Inc.

Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Opinion on the Consolidated Financial Statements

We have audited the accompanying consolidated balance sheets of H&E Equipment Services, Inc. (the “Company”) and subsidiaries as of December 31, 2020 and 2019, the related consolidated statements of income, stockholders’ equity, and cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020, and the related notes and schedule (collectively referred to as the “consolidated financial statements”). In our opinion, the consolidated financial statements present fairly, in all material respects, the financial position of the Company at December 31, 2020 and 2019, and the results of its operations and its cash flows for each of the three years in the period ended December 31, 2020, in conformity with accounting principles generally accepted in the United States of America.

We also have audited, in accordance with the standards of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”), the Company's internal control over financial reporting as of December 31, 2020, based on criteria established in Internal Control – Integrated Framework (2013) issued by the Committee of Sponsoring Organizations of the Treadway Commission (“COSO”) and our report dated February 17, 2021 expressed an unqualified opinion thereon.

Basis for Opinion

These consolidated financial statements are the responsibility of the Company’s management. Our responsibility is to express an opinion on the Company’s consolidated financial statements based on our audits. We are a public accounting firm registered with the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (United States) (“PCAOB”) and are required to be independent with respect to the Company in accordance with the U.S. federal securities laws and the applicable rules and regulations of the Securities and Exchange Commission and the PCAOB.

We conducted our audits in accordance with the standards of the PCAOB. Those standards require that we plan and perform the audit to obtain reasonable assurance about whether the consolidated financial statements are free of material misstatement, whether due to error or fraud.

Our audits included performing procedures to assess the risks of material misstatement of the consolidated financial statements, whether due to error or fraud, and performing procedures that respond to those risks. Such procedures included examining, on a test basis, evidence regarding the amounts and disclosures in the consolidated financial statements. Our audits also included evaluating the accounting principles used and significant estimates made by management, as well as evaluating the overall presentation of the consolidated financial statements. We believe that our audits provide a reasonable basis for our opinion.

Critical Audit Matter

The critical audit matter communicated below is a matter arising from the current period audit of the consolidated financial statements that was communicated or required to be communicated to the audit committee and that: (1) relates to accounts or disclosures that are material to the consolidated financial statements and (2) involved our especially challenging, subjective, or complex judgments. The communication of a critical audit matter does not alter in any way our opinion on the consolidated financial statements, taken as a whole, and we are not, by communicating the critical audit matter below, providing a separate opinion on the critical audit matter or on the accounts or disclosures to which it relates.

Goodwill Impairment Assessment

As described in Note 2 to the consolidated financial statements, the Company has recognized goodwill of approximately $68.9 million as of December 31, 2020.  The Company performs its annual impairment assessment on October 1st every year or more frequently if events or circumstances dictate. On March 31, 2020, the Company observed a deterioration in macroeconomic conditions, declines in business volume in the industry, a decline in actual revenue and earnings compared with planned revenue and earnings, and a sustained decrease in stock price as a result of the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Company determined these events constituted triggering events requiring the performance of a quantitative assessment of goodwill impairment, which resulted in a $62.0 million impairment charge related to the Equipment Rental Component 2 reporting unit.  The Company’s annual impairment assessment, which consisted of a comparison between the carrying value and fair value of the Company’s reporting units with

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goodwill balances, did not result in any additional impairment of goodwill. A combination of the income and the market approaches were used to estimate the fair value of the Company’s reporting units for both the March 31, 2020 and October 1, 2020 assessments.

We identified management’s judgments used in the income approach in estimating the fair value of the reporting units with goodwill balances as a critical audit matter. Significant judgments are required by management to develop assumptions used in the discounted cash flow analysis including internally projected results of operations, the weighted average cost of capital (“WACC”), and the terminal value growth rate. Auditing these elements involved especially challenging auditor judgment due to the nature and extent of audit effort required in performing procedures, and evaluating audit evidence obtained, related to management’s assumptions, including the use of professionals with specialized skill and knowledge to assist in performing these procedures.

The primary procedures we performed to address this critical audit matter included:

BDO USA, LLP

We have served as the Company's auditor since 2004.

Dallas, Texas

February 17, 2021

41

H&E EQUIPMENT SERVICES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED BALANCE SHEETS

AS OF DECEMBER 31,

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated statements.

42

H&E EQUIPMENT SERVICES, INC. AND SUBSIDIARIES

CONSOLIDATED STATEMENTS OF OPERATIONS

FOR THE YEARS ENDED DECEMBER 31,

The accompanying notes are an integral part of these consolidated statements.