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

Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) have been given a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" by the fifteen brokerages that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, five have issued a hold recommendation and nine have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1-year price objective among analysts that have covered the stock in the last year is $804.15.

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research 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 for the company in a report on Friday, March 21st. Robert W. Baird upgraded United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $658.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded 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 research note on Tuesday, March 25th.

United Rentals Stock Performance

URI traded down $50.85 on Monday, hitting $595.32. 138,180 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 686,378. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $678.19 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $753.23. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.89 billion, a PE ratio of 15.35, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76. United Rentals has a 52 week low of $585.27 and a 52 week high of $896.98.

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United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. On average, research analysts predict that United Rentals will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.20%. This is a positive change from United Rentals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other 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 value of $701,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Rentals

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $25,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth $26,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in United Rentals by 241.7% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management bought a new position in United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company's stock.

About United Rentals

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.