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

Key Points

• United Rentals has a consensus analyst rating of “Moderate Buy”, with 12 of 16 analysts rating it a buy and an average 12-month price target of about $1,006.
• The stock was up 0.9% and opened at $996.99, near its 52-week high of $1,021.47. The company’s market cap is about $62.46 billion.
• In its latest earnings report, United Rentals missed estimates on both EPS and revenue, though revenue still rose 7.2% year over year. The company also recently paid a $1.97 quarterly dividend, equal to an annualized yield of about 0.8%.

United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) has been given a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" by the sixteen research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, three have issued a hold recommendation and twelve have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $1,006.1250.

URI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on United Rentals from $1,041.00 to $1,119.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore restated an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,101.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a report on Monday, May 11th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on United Rentals from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on United Rentals from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley restated an "overweight" rating and issued a $1,030.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, April 24th.

United Rentals Stock Up 0.9%

NYSE:URI opened at $996.99 on Friday. United Rentals has a twelve month low of $681.98 and a twelve month high of $1,021.47. The company has a market cap of $62.46 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.43, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.83. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $854.91 and a 200-day simple moving average of $845.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results 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). United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.56% and a net margin of 15.32%.The business had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $8.86 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that United Rentals will post 47.07 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were issued a $1.97 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. United Rentals's payout ratio is currently 20.10%.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other news, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 22,768 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $984.98, for a total transaction of $22,426,024.64. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 99,980 shares in the company, valued at $98,478,300.40. This represents a 18.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Craig Adam Pintoff sold 2,466 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $963.00, for a total transaction of $2,374,758.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 14,774 shares of the company's stock, valued at $14,227,362. The trade was a 14.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. In the last three months, insiders have sold 26,088 shares of company stock worth $25,628,877. 0.47% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Rentals

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of URI. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 73.3% during the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 5,740 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $5,533,000 after purchasing an additional 2,428 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 4.5% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 103,146 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $98,469,000 after purchasing an additional 4,415 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 1,358.7% during the fourth quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 8,227 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $6,658,000 after purchasing an additional 7,663 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 11.6% during the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 9,108 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $8,695,000 after purchasing an additional 947 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 70.7% during the third quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 1,707 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,486,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.

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