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

United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) has received a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the sixteen ratings firms that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has issued a hold rating and fourteen have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month target price among brokerages that have covered the stock in the last year is $1,140.00.

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,275.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Citigroup raised their target price on United Rentals from $1,210.00 to $1,270.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, July 14th. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on United Rentals from $1,041.00 to $1,119.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group boosted their target price on United Rentals from $1,145.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 1st. Finally, Truist Financial upped their price target on United Rentals from $1,209.00 to $1,421.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 2nd.

United Rentals Stock Performance

NYSE URI opened at $1,043.73 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $65.39 billion, a PE ratio of 26.63, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.67 and a beta of 1.79. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.80. United Rentals has a 52-week low of $701.59 and a 52-week high of $1,143.69. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $1,041.31 and a 200 day simple moving average of $910.42.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.47 by ($1.76). United Rentals had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 30.56%. The company had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $8.86 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts predict that United Rentals will post 46.85 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were given a $1.97 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. United Rentals’s payout ratio is 20.10%.

Insider Activity

In other United Rentals news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 548 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $977.86, for a total value of $535,867.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,865 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,823,708.90. This trade represents a 22.71% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Craig Adam Pintoff sold 2,466 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $963.00, for a total transaction of $2,374,758.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 14,774 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $14,227,362. This trade represents a 14.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders sold 26,088 shares of company stock valued at $25,628,877. Corporate insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Rentals

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Capital World Investors increased its stake in United Rentals by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,708,877 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,192,357,000 after acquiring an additional 30,263 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,343,981 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,087,711,000 after acquiring an additional 28,895 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at about $978,017,000. Bank of America Corp DE grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 14.7% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 806,380 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $587,496,000 after purchasing an additional 103,371 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 774,347 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $631,459,000 after purchasing an additional 29,675 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

About United Rentals

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.