United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Receives Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) has earned a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from the fifteen analysts that are currently covering the company, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. The average twelve-month price target among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $766.23.

URI has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Bank of America dropped their price objective on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on United Rentals from $770.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on United Rentals from $780.00 to $920.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $810.00 price target (up from $740.00) on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price target on United Rentals from $974.00 to $921.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 19th.

United Rentals Stock Up 1.1%

Shares of URI stock opened at $792.77 on Wednesday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $712.29 and a 200 day moving average of $683.99. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The stock has a market cap of $51.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.53, a P/E/G ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.69. United Rentals has a twelve month low of $525.91 and a twelve month high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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 analysts' expectations of $3.61 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 16.38% and a return on equity of 33.11%. The firm's revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $9.15 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Rentals will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th were issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.54%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total transaction of $499,748.88. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 1,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,355,957.06. This represents a 26.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $626.28, for a total value of $688,908.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,478,697.44. The trade was a 11.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Rentals

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Adamsbrown Wealth Consultants LLC acquired a new position in United Rentals during the 2nd quarter worth about $242,000. Atwood & Palmer Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. Atwood & Palmer Inc. now owns 57,371 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $43,223,000 after buying an additional 269 shares during the period. Paladin Wealth LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 3.7% in the 2nd quarter. Paladin Wealth LLC now owns 1,304 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $982,000 after buying an additional 47 shares during the period. Apella Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 2nd quarter valued at about $225,000. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 4.4% in the 2nd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,437 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,083,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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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