United Rentals (NYSE:URI) Upgraded to Market Perform at Sanford C. Bernstein

Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of United Rentals (NYSE:URI) from an underperform rating to a market perform rating in a research note released on Tuesday morning, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Sanford C. Bernstein currently has $666.00 price objective on the construction company’s stock, down from their prior price objective of $705.00.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $956.00 price target (down previously from $963.00) on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America lowered their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Evercore ISI cut their price target on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Baird R W raised shares of United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $804.15.

United Rentals Stock Up 1.0 %

United Rentals stock opened at $653.71 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $42.69 billion, a PE ratio of 16.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.98. United Rentals has a fifty-two week low of $585.27 and a fifty-two week high of $896.98. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $694.07 and a 200 day moving average price of $756.62.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. Research analysts expect that United Rentals will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.10%. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. United Rentals’s payout ratio is presently 18.48%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at $4,390,128. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 23.3% during the 3rd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 392 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $318,000 after purchasing an additional 74 shares during the last quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 105.0% during the third quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 615 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $498,000 after purchasing an additional 315 shares during the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its stake in United Rentals by 10.5% in the third quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 982 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $795,000 after purchasing an additional 93 shares during the last quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC lifted its position in United Rentals by 7.6% during the third quarter. Summit Trail Advisors LLC now owns 804 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $651,000 after buying an additional 57 shares during the period. Finally, Fisher Asset Management LLC lifted its position in United Rentals by 2.8% during the third quarter. Fisher Asset Management LLC now owns 43,650 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $35,346,000 after buying an additional 1,200 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.