United Rentals (NYSE:URI) Stock Price Expected to Rise, Robert W. Baird Analyst Says

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

Several other equities analysts have also recently weighed in on URI. Bank of America reduced their price target on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley raised United Rentals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $702.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $705.00 to $666.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, UBS Group cut shares of United Rentals from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and decreased their price objective for the stock from $910.00 to $485.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Rentals presently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $725.69.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.8 %

NYSE:URI traded down $5.28 on Friday, hitting $628.32. The stock had a trading volume of 575,469 shares, compared to its average volume of 592,155. United Rentals has a 52 week low of $525.91 and a 52 week high of $896.98. 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's fifty day moving average is $614.32 and its 200 day moving average is $724.53. The company has a market cap of $41.05 billion, a PE ratio of 16.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.72.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $8.92 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.61 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. The business's revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $9.15 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Rentals will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals's payout ratio is 18.54%.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at $4,390,128. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in URI. Norges Bank bought a new position in United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $695,716,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 77,674.5% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 887,407 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $556,138,000 after purchasing an additional 886,266 shares during the period. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at $330,989,000. Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 17.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,221,228 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,564,722,000 after purchasing an additional 323,636 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 41.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,051,365 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $740,624,000 after purchasing an additional 305,491 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by 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.