United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Receives Consensus Rating of “Hold” from Brokerages

Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) have been given an average recommendation of “Hold” by the seventeen analysts that are currently covering the firm, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating on the company. The average twelve-month price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $751.67.

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on URI. Barclays upped their price objective on United Rentals from $400.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $930.00 to $955.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $565.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Evercore ISI upped their target price on shares of United Rentals from $774.00 to $795.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Monday, August 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on United Rentals from $780.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE URI opened at $866.00 on Tuesday. The company has a market cap of $56.83 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.62, a P/E/G ratio of 2.01 and a beta of 1.68. United Rentals has a 52-week low of $473.58 and a 52-week high of $896.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.82. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $828.46 and its two-hundred day moving average is $737.68.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $11.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $12.49 by ($0.69). United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.73% and a net margin of 17.12%. The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $11.73 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that United Rentals will post 43.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.75%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.03%.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, SVP Anthony S. Leopold sold 900 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $823.24, for a total transaction of $740,916.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,682,702.56. The trade was a 30.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Rentals

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its holdings in United Rentals by 11.7% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 9,203 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $7,492,000 after acquiring an additional 964 shares in the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 31.9% during the second quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 563 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $364,000 after purchasing an additional 136 shares in the last quarter. Retireful LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals during the third quarter valued at approximately $697,000. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its stake in United Rentals by 1,067.5% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 59,879 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $48,486,000 after buying an additional 54,750 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 241.2% during the first quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 4,859 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,504,000 after buying an additional 3,435 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

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.