United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Receives Average Rating of “Hold” from Analysts

Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) have received a consensus recommendation of “Hold” from the twelve research firms that are covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $584.07.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on URI shares. Morgan Stanley started coverage on United Rentals in a report on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. BNP Paribas reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $485.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, January 5th. Truist Financial started coverage on United Rentals in a report on Thursday, March 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $793.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on United Rentals from $494.00 to $591.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on United Rentals from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th.

United Rentals Stock Down 1.6 %

URI stock opened at $674.81 on Monday. United Rentals has a twelve month low of $325.15 and a twelve month high of $732.37. The company has a market cap of $45.33 billion, a PE ratio of 19.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.84. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $680.53 and its 200 day simple moving average is $565.11. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The construction company reported $11.26 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.85 by $0.41. United Rentals had a return on equity of 36.80% and a net margin of 16.91%. The business had revenue of $3.73 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.63 billion. During the same period last year, the business earned $9.74 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that United Rentals will post 43.05 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 13th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.44%.

United Rentals announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, January 24th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the construction company to reacquire up to 3.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $655.62, for a total transaction of $508,105.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,323 shares in the company, valued at $4,145,485.26. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Rentals

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC increased its holdings in United Rentals by 6.4% in the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 21,568 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $9,588,000 after purchasing an additional 1,304 shares during the last quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. increased its holdings in United Rentals by 0.6% in the third quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. now owns 9,487 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,218,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. increased its holdings in United Rentals by 55.5% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 6,413 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,677,000 after purchasing an additional 2,289 shares during the last quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc bought a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at about $22,529,000. Finally, Teza Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in United Rentals by 40.5% in the third quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 5,012 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,228,000 after purchasing an additional 1,445 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors 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.