United Rentals (NYSE:URI) Reaches New 52-Week High – Should You Buy?

United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)’s stock price reached a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday . The stock traded as high as $1,004.92 and last traded at $994.89, with a volume of 378893 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $988.59.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on URI. Citigroup lifted their price target on United Rentals from $1,000.00 to $1,080.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 23rd. Argus set a $935.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Tuesday, August 12th. Redburn Atlantic downgraded shares of United Rentals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $760.00 target price for the company. in a research note on Friday, June 13th. UBS Group boosted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $780.00 to $835.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised shares of United Rentals from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $888.00 to $1,050.00 in a research note on Wednesday, October 1st. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, eleven have given a Buy rating, five have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $956.13.

United Rentals Stock Performance

The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $937.56 and its 200 day moving average price is $784.61. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The company has a market cap of $61.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.61, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.73.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The construction company reported $10.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.54 by ($0.07). United Rentals had a net margin of 16.11% and a return on equity of 32.01%. The company had revenue of $3.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $10.70 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. United Rentals has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th were issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 13th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. United Rentals’s payout ratio is presently 18.52%.

Institutional Trading of United Rentals

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. First Bank & Trust grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 5.7% during the 3rd quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 857 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $818,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Natural Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 35.6% during the 3rd quarter. Natural Investments LLC now owns 1,120 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,069,000 after purchasing an additional 294 shares during the period. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 12.3% during the 3rd quarter. Quotient Wealth Partners LLC now owns 420 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $401,000 after purchasing an additional 46 shares during the period. Perpetual Ltd grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 15.6% during the 3rd quarter. Perpetual Ltd now owns 311 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $297,000 after purchasing an additional 42 shares during the period. Finally, Sunflower Bank N.A. boosted its holdings in United Rentals by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Sunflower Bank N.A. now owns 322 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $307,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the period. 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.