Brokerages Set United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) PT at $986.35

Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) have been assigned a consensus recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the seventeen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have given a hold recommendation and thirteen have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $996.9412.

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on URI shares. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $1,030.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $1,041.00 to $1,119.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,101.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Monday. Citigroup lifted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $950.00 to $1,130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Joli L. Gross sold 306 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $954.99, for a total value of $292,226.94. Following the transaction, the senior vice president owned 5,738 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,479,732.62. This trade represents a 5.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 22,768 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $984.98, for a total transaction of $22,426,024.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 99,980 shares in the company, valued at $98,478,300.40. This trade represents a 18.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 26,088 shares of company stock worth $25,628,877. 0.47% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Rentals

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital International Investors increased its position in United Rentals by 22.8% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,402,524 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,247,762,000 after acquiring an additional 631,484 shares during the period. Capital World Investors increased its position in United Rentals by 1.1% during the fourth 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 period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in United Rentals by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,343,981 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,087,711,000 after acquiring an additional 28,895 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new position in United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth $978,017,000. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in United Rentals by 5.6% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,088,209 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,038,870,000 after acquiring an additional 57,977 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of URI opened at $938.73 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $58.81 billion, a PE ratio of 23.95, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.83. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $808.46 and its 200 day moving average price is $838.00. 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 twelve month low of $681.98 and a twelve month high of $1,021.47.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.47 by ($1.76). The business had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 30.56%. United Rentals’s revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $8.86 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that United Rentals will post 46.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to reacquire up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th will be given a $1.97 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.10%.

United Rentals Company Profile

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.