United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen analysts that are covering the stock, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and nine have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $829.00.

Several brokerages have recently commented on URI. Argus raised their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on shares of United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $956.00 price objective (down from $963.00) on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 31st.

United Rentals Trading Up 6.0 %

Shares of URI stock opened at $633.85 on Thursday. United Rentals has a 12-month low of $585.27 and a 12-month high of $896.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $714.93 and its 200 day moving average is $766.18. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76.

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

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.13%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.48%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s 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 owns 6,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Rentals

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at $695,716,000. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at $330,989,000. Capital World Investors grew its position in United Rentals by 17.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,221,228 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,564,722,000 after buying an additional 323,636 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors grew its position in United Rentals by 41.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,051,365 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $740,624,000 after buying an additional 305,491 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its position in United Rentals by 105.6% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 546,165 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $384,740,000 after buying an additional 280,502 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Company Profile

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.