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

United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) has been given a consensus rating of “Hold” by the twelve analysts that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat.com reports. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have assigned a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $589.21.

URI has been the subject of a number of research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $718.00 to $790.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $793.00 price target for the company. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $322.00 to $559.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $325.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th.

United Rentals Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of URI stock opened at $628.34 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.84. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $679.93 and a 200 day moving average price of $570.39. United Rentals has a fifty-two week low of $325.15 and a fifty-two week high of $732.37.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The construction company reported $11.26 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.85 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $3.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.63 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 36.80%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $9.74 earnings per share. Equities research analysts predict that United Rentals will post 43.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 14th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 13th. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.48. United Rentals’s payout ratio is currently 18.44%.

United Rentals announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, January 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to buy up to 3.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In other 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 owns 6,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,145,485.26. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Rentals

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 2.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 8,179,328 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,905,379,000 after acquiring an additional 186,931 shares during the period. Capital Research Global Investors increased its stake in United Rentals by 39.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,399,808 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,669,806,000 after buying an additional 1,799,997 shares during the period. Morgan Stanley increased its stake in United Rentals by 10.8% in the 4th quarter. Morgan Stanley now owns 1,756,009 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $624,121,000 after buying an additional 170,958 shares during the period. Norges Bank acquired a new position in United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at $977,443,000. Finally, Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in United Rentals by 2.8% in the 1st quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,441,997 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $569,394,000 after buying an additional 39,917 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.