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

Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the twenty brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have given a hold recommendation, twelve have given a buy recommendation and two have given a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $968.9444.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Robert W. Baird raised shares of United Rentals from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and raised their target price for the company from $888.00 to $1,050.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Wells Fargo & Company started coverage on United Rentals in a research note on Thursday, November 13th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $995.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on United Rentals from $1,000.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 22nd. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Thursday, October 23rd. Finally, BNP Paribas set a $900.00 target price on United Rentals and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 16th.

Institutional Trading of United Rentals

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of URI. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 22.3% in the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 661,251 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $414,406,000 after buying an additional 120,449 shares in the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 0.4% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,422,036 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,651,390,000 after acquiring an additional 29,501 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in United Rentals by 3.5% in the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 460,871 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $288,828,000 after acquiring an additional 15,657 shares during the last quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC lifted its position in United Rentals by 33.0% in the 1st quarter. Chicago Partners Investment Group LLC now owns 459 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $299,000 after acquiring an additional 114 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. lifted its position in United Rentals by 10.2% in the 1st quarter. Mitsubishi UFJ Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 115,768 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $72,552,000 after acquiring an additional 10,723 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of URI stock opened at $796.27 on Friday. United Rentals has a 12 month low of $525.91 and a 12 month high of $1,021.47. The stock has a market cap of $50.67 billion, a PE ratio of 20.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.90, a quick ratio of 0.84 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.40. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $889.08 and its 200-day moving average price is $851.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 22nd. The construction company reported $11.70 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $12.43 by ($0.73). United Rentals had a return on equity of 31.30% and a net margin of 15.83%.The business had revenue of $4.23 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.16 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $11.80 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 5.9% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts expect that United Rentals will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 12th were paid a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 12th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. United Rentals’s payout ratio is presently 18.42%.

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.