United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the thirteen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and ten have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $805.25.

Several research firms recently issued reports on URI. Argus upped their target price on United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday. Bank of America raised their target price on shares of United Rentals from $800.00 to $910.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of United Rentals from $780.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, SVP Anthony S. Leopold sold 900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $823.24, for a total value of $740,916.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,682,702.56. This represents a 30.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Rentals

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. acquired a new position in United Rentals in the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. lifted its position in United Rentals by 80.0% during the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 45 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co. acquired a new stake in United Rentals during the third quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont grew its stake in United Rentals by 6,000.0% during the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 61 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $49,000 after buying an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of URI stock opened at $729.60 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $47.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.05, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.69. United Rentals has a 52 week low of $545.16 and a 52 week high of $896.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $787.08 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $759.44.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $11.80 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $12.49 by ($0.69). United Rentals had a net margin of 17.12% and a return on equity of 34.73%. The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $11.73 earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts expect that United Rentals will post 43.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. United Rentals’s payout ratio is 17.03%.

About United Rentals

United Rentals, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an equipment rental company. It operates in two segments, General Rentals and Specialty. The General Rentals segment rents general construction and industrial equipment includes backhoes, skid-steer loaders, forklifts, earthmoving equipment, and material handling equipment; aerial work platforms, such as boom and scissor lifts; and general tools and light equipment comprising pressure washers, water pumps, and power tools for construction and industrial companies, manufacturers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners, and government entities.