Brokerages Set United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) PT at $804.15

Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) have received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fifteen research firms that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $804.15.

Several research analysts have issued reports on URI shares. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Bank of America dropped their target price on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th.

United Rentals Price Performance

URI stock opened at $564.56 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.57, 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 company has a fifty day simple moving average of $669.75 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $750.88. United Rentals has a 52 week low of $544.32 and a 52 week high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. Analysts anticipate that United Rentals will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.27%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s payout ratio is currently 18.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total transaction of $701,910.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,390,128. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Rentals

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of URI. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 14,855 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,464,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position in United Rentals by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 445,214 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $313,627,000 after acquiring an additional 6,787 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC grew its position in United Rentals by 196.5% during the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,420 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,000,000 after buying an additional 941 shares during the period. Blueshift Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at about $649,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in United Rentals by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 732,954 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $517,018,000 after purchasing an additional 52,037 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, 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.