United Rentals (NYSE:URI) Price Target Raised to $850.00

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Free Report) had its price objective lifted by The Goldman Sachs Group from $770.00 to $850.00 in a report published on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The Goldman Sachs Group currently has a buy rating on the construction company's stock.

A number of other analysts have also recently issued reports on URI. Sanford C. Bernstein raised United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on United Rentals from $974.00 to $921.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Bank of America lowered their target price on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. UBS Group raised United Rentals from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their target price for the stock from $485.00 to $780.00 in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $753.15.

United Rentals Stock Up 0.5%

NYSE URI traded up $3.49 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $715.63. 17,618 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 599,718. The company's 50-day moving average is $641.24 and its two-hundred day moving average is $704.36. United Rentals has a one year low of $525.91 and a one year high of $896.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.98. The company has a market capitalization of $46.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 earnings per share (EPS) 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 business had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $9.15 earnings per share. United Rentals's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts forecast that United Rentals will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th were paid a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.54%.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In related news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $626.28, for a total value of $688,908.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total value of $499,748.88. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,355,957.06. This represents a 26.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Rentals

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in URI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 15.4% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 787,877 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $637,968,000 after purchasing an additional 105,287 shares during the last quarter. Mutual Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth $235,000. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 65.4% during the fourth quarter. Empirical Financial Services LLC d.b.a. Empirical Wealth Management now owns 541 shares of the construction company's stock worth $381,000 after buying an additional 214 shares in the last quarter. Kingswood Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth $368,000. Finally, Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 21.2% during the fourth quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 1,098 shares of the construction company's stock worth $773,000 after buying an additional 192 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.