United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Given Consensus Recommendation of “Hold” by Brokerages

Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) have been given an average rating of “Hold” by the thirteen analysts that are covering the firm, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, four have assigned a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $600.79.

A number of research firms have issued reports on URI. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on United Rentals from $718.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on United Rentals from $720.00 to $750.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on United Rentals from $322.00 to $559.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on shares of United Rentals from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of United Rentals from $575.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th.

United Rentals Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of URI opened at $689.29 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $683.34 and a 200-day simple moving average of $593.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. United Rentals has a 1 year low of $325.91 and a 1 year high of $732.37. The stock has a market cap of $45.90 billion, a PE ratio of 18.67, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.82.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $9.15 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.35 by $0.80. United Rentals had a return on equity of 36.44% and a net margin of 17.31%. The firm had revenue of $3.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.44 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.95 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that United Rentals will post 43.61 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to repurchase up to 3.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 7th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.66%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were 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 directly owns 6,323 shares in the company, valued at $4,145,485.26. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. In other United Rentals news, COO Michael D. Durand sold 559 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $674.56, for a total transaction of $377,079.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 8,052 shares in the company, valued at $5,431,557.12. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,145,485.26. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 9,713 shares of company stock worth $6,747,384 over the last 90 days. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Rentals

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital Research Global Investors grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 39.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,399,808 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,669,806,000 after acquiring an additional 1,799,997 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new position in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $977,443,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in United Rentals by 4.8% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,246,092 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $714,578,000 after buying an additional 56,948 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in United Rentals by 58,829.4% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,043,051 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $598,106,000 after purchasing an additional 1,041,281 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. increased its holdings in United Rentals by 19.1% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 933,428 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $414,974,000 after acquiring an additional 149,838 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

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.