Sunbelt Rentals posted an 11-percent fiscal third quarter improvement in rental revenues, while its total revenue for the first nine months of its fiscal year grew 10 percent from $821.3 million in 2010 to $903.7 million. Sunbelt’s rental revenue grew 6.7 percent in the first nine months to $811 million, compared to $760 million for the same period a year ago.

Sunbelt’s nine-month rental revenue growth reflected 4-percent more fleet on rent compared to 2010 and a 2-percent increase in yield year over year. Yield has now improved at an increasing rate throughout the fiscal year with growth of 5 percent year over year in the fiscal third quarter.
A-Plant, the United Kingdom-based rental company also owned by parent company Ashtead plc, posted a 2 percent rental revenue increase in the fiscal third quarter. A-Plant’s nine month rental revenues were flat at £113 million, compared with £114 million a year ago.

Ashtead posted a fiscal third-quarter revenue increase of 15 percent, with £221.4 million (about U.S. $358.6). For the nine-month period, Ashtead posted £705.7 million (about U.S. $1.14 billion) compared with £626.7 billion for the same period a year ago, about an 8-percent jump.

“It was encouraging to see our improving year-on-year trends in revenue and profitability continue in the third quarter, our seasonally most difficult period,” said Ashtead chief executive Geoff Drabble. “Our high levels of fleet on rent and our continued focus on yield and costs have produced strong results for the first nine months with profits now £20 million ahead of last year. Whilst we remain cautious about predicting short-term recoveries in end construction markets, the momentum we have established in difficult conditions reinforces the board’s long held confidence in the medium term attractiveness of our rental markets. Based on our third quarter performance which continued in February, it is now likely that the full-year outcome will exceed our earlier expectations.”

Based in Fort Mill, S.C., Sunbelt Rentals is No. 3 on the RER 100.