Citigroup Issues Positive Forecast for United Rentals (NYSE:URI) Stock Price

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) had its price target increased by stock analysts at Citigroup from $740.00 to $810.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "buy" rating on the construction company's stock. Citigroup's price objective points to a potential upside of 10.83% from the company's previous close.

A number of other equities research analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $974.00 to $921.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 19th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $535.00 to $571.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group upgraded shares of United Rentals from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price target for the stock from $485.00 to $780.00 in a report on Friday, May 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $705.00 to $666.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $765.07.

United Rentals Price Performance

URI traded up $14.28 on Tuesday, reaching $730.85. 203,334 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 583,859. United Rentals has a twelve month low of $525.91 and a twelve month high of $896.98. The stock has a market cap of $47.51 billion, a PE ratio of 18.92, a P/E/G ratio of 1.72 and a beta of 1.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $676.34 and its 200-day moving average price is $683.44.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.92 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 33.11% and a net margin of 16.38%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.15 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that United Rentals will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other United Rentals news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $626.28, for a total transaction of $688,908.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 8,748 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,478,697.44. This trade represents a 11.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total transaction of $499,748.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,355,957.06. The trade was a 26.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of United Rentals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Voya Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 19.1% in the first quarter. Voya Investment Management LLC now owns 35,460 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $22,223,000 after purchasing an additional 5,699 shares during the period. Inspire Investing LLC lifted its position in United Rentals by 2.4% in the first quarter. Inspire Investing LLC now owns 6,340 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,973,000 after purchasing an additional 149 shares during the period. Nova Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in United Rentals by 11.4% in the 1st quarter. Nova Wealth Management Inc. now owns 234 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $147,000 after purchasing an additional 24 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio acquired a new position in United Rentals during the 1st quarter worth approximately $32,448,000. Finally, Jacobi Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 12.3% during the 1st quarter. Jacobi Capital Management LLC now owns 2,148 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,346,000 after buying an additional 235 shares in the last quarter. 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.

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