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” from 16 research firms, with 13 buy ratings, 2 holds, and 1 sell. The average 1-year price target is about $1,045.81.
• The stock was down 2.6% in trading, but it still recently opened at $1,064.69, near its 52-week high of $1,106.88. The company also carries a market cap of $66.7 billion.
• United Rentals’ latest earnings missed expectations, posting $9.71 EPS versus $11.47 estimated and revenue of $3.99 billion versus $4.20 billion expected. Despite that miss, revenue still rose 7.2% year over year, and the company paid a quarterly dividend of $1.97 per share.

United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) has been given an average rating of "Moderate Buy" by the sixteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $1,045.8125.

Several equities research analysts have commented on URI shares. Royal Bank Of Canada boosted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $1,041.00 to $1,119.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of United Rentals from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and set a $1,101.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Barclays upped their price target on shares of United Rentals from $600.00 to $715.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, UBS Group upped their price target on shares of United Rentals from $1,025.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other news, SVP Joli L. Gross sold 306 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $954.99, for a total transaction of $292,226.94. Following the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 5,738 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,479,732.62. This represents a 5.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Craig Adam Pintoff sold 2,466 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $963.00, for a total transaction of $2,374,758.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 14,774 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,227,362. This trade represents a 14.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last quarter, insiders sold 26,088 shares of company stock valued at $25,628,877. Company insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Rentals

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in URI. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 40.0% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 5,518 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,458,000 after buying an additional 1,577 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 24.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 27,136 shares of the construction company's stock worth $20,444,000 after buying an additional 5,375 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 43.6% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 56,057 shares of the construction company's stock worth $42,233,000 after buying an additional 17,030 shares in the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in United Rentals by 11.3% in the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,205 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,661,000 after purchasing an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in United Rentals by 338.7% in the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,654 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,246,000 after purchasing an additional 1,277 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Rentals Trading Down 2.6%

Shares of United Rentals stock opened at $1,064.69 on Wednesday. United Rentals has a 52-week low of $701.59 and a 52-week high of $1,106.88. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $966.13 and its 200-day simple moving average is $875.56. The firm has a market cap of $66.70 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.81.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $11.47 by ($1.76). United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.56% and a net margin of 15.32%.The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $8.86 earnings per share. The company's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that United Rentals will post 47.26 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were paid a dividend of $1.97 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio is 20.10%.

About United Rentals

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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