Robert W. Baird Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for United Rentals (NYSE:URI) Stock

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Free Report) had its price target hoisted by Robert W. Baird from $535.00 to $571.00 in a report released on Friday morning,Benzinga reports. Robert W. Baird currently has a neutral rating on the construction company's stock.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on URI. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $705.00 to $666.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Baird R W raised United Rentals from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of United Rentals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $702.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. UBS Group cut shares of United Rentals from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and cut their target price for the company from $910.00 to $485.00 in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $725.69.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.8 %

Shares of URI stock traded down $5.34 during trading on Friday, reaching $624.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 206,180 shares, compared to its average volume of 590,157. The company has a market cap of $40.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.12, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $613.03 and a 200-day moving average price of $723.88. United Rentals has a one year low of $525.91 and a one year high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $8.92 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.15 EPS. The company's revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts anticipate that United Rentals will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.15%. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.54%.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total transaction of $701,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. now owns 814 shares of the construction company's stock worth $573,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 788 shares of the construction company's stock worth $555,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 0.5% during the fourth quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,794 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,002,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP raised its position in United Rentals by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 749 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $528,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Klingman & Associates LLC lifted its stake in United Rentals by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 669 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $471,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.