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

Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) have received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen analysts that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, twelve have given a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 12-month price target among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $925.5882.

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on URI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of United Rentals from $1,150.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price target on United Rentals from $1,123.00 to $1,041.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Truist Financial set a $972.00 price objective on United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 30th. KeyCorp set a $950.00 target price on United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on United Rentals from $1,090.00 to $950.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 2nd.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $791.14, for a total transaction of $1,969,938.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,458 shares in the company, valued at $5,900,322.12. The trade was a 25.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $790.89, for a total value of $1,184,753.22. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,434,996.08. The trade was a 17.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Rentals

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of URI. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 73.3% during the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 5,740 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,533,000 after buying an additional 2,428 shares during the period. National Pension Service boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 103,146 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $98,469,000 after purchasing an additional 4,415 shares in the last quarter. North Growth Management Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 22.2% in the 3rd quarter. North Growth Management Ltd. now owns 11,000 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,189,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 37.2% during the 3rd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,608 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,308,000 after purchasing an additional 1,790 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. acquired a new position in United Rentals in the second quarter valued at about $7,514,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of URI opened at $880.39 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $55.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.76, a PEG ratio of 1.38 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The business’s 50 day moving average is $863.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $889.16. United Rentals has a 52-week low of $525.91 and a 52-week high of $1,021.47.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The construction company reported $11.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.86 by ($0.77). United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.35% and a net margin of 15.49%.The company had revenue of $4.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.24 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $11.59 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts forecast that United Rentals will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals declared that its board has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to repurchase up to 8.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th will be issued a dividend of $1.97 per share. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.9%. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 11th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.37%.

United Rentals Company Profile

United Rentals, Inc (NYSE: URI) is a leading equipment rental company headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The firm provides rental solutions and related services to construction, industrial, commercial, and municipal customers. Its business model centers on providing access to a broad fleet of equipment on a short-term or long-term basis, enabling customers to avoid the capital expenditure of ownership and to scale equipment use to match project needs.

The company’s product and service offerings span general construction equipment and a range of specialty categories, including aerial work platforms, earthmoving and excavation machines, material handling equipment, pumps, power and HVAC systems, trench and shoring solutions, and tools.