United Rentals (NYSE:URI) Stock Rating Upgraded by UBS Group

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) was upgraded by analysts at UBS Group from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating in a report issued on Friday, MarketBeat reports. The brokerage currently has a $780.00 target price on the construction company’s stock, up from their previous target price of $485.00. UBS Group’s target price indicates a potential upside of 7.35% from the company’s previous close.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Morgan Stanley raised United Rentals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $702.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on United Rentals from $1,000.00 to $750.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on United Rentals from $535.00 to $571.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup lowered their target price on United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Rentals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $748.38.

United Rentals Trading Up 1.9%

URI stock opened at $726.59 on Friday. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $626.76 and a 200 day moving average price of $710.24. United Rentals has a fifty-two week low of $525.91 and a fifty-two week high of $896.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $47.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.92 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. The business had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.15 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that United Rentals will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In related news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total transaction of $499,748.88. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,355,957.06. This represents a 26.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at $4,390,128. The trade was a 13.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,908 shares of company stock valued at $1,890,567 in the last 90 days. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Rentals

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its position in United Rentals by 241.7% during the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its position in United Rentals by 1,266.7% during the first quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 41 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in United Rentals during the first quarter worth approximately $26,000. 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.