United Rentals (NYSE:URI) Rating Increased to Hold at Baird R W

Baird R W upgraded shares of United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Free Report) from a strong sell rating to a hold rating in a research note released on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports on URI. Argus boosted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $400.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Robert W. Baird raised 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. Truist Financial boosted their price target on United Rentals from $955.00 to $965.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, December 19th. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on United Rentals from $800.00 to $910.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Rentals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $805.25.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:URI traded up $11.84 on Tuesday, hitting $741.70. The company had a trading volume of 933,280 shares, compared to its average volume of 742,431. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $785.71 and a 200 day moving average price of $760.02. The company has a current ratio of 0.82, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The stock has a market cap of $48.67 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.37, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.69. United Rentals has a 1-year low of $545.16 and a 1-year high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $11.80 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $12.49 by ($0.69). United Rentals had a net margin of 17.12% and a return on equity of 34.73%. The company had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $11.73 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts expect that United Rentals will post 43.46 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio is presently 17.03%.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, SVP Anthony S. Leopold sold 900 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $823.24, for a total value of $740,916.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,044 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,682,702.56. This represents a 30.57 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Rentals

Several large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in United Rentals during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $31,000. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 80.0% during the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 45 shares of the construction company's stock worth $36,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont lifted its stake in United Rentals by 6,000.0% in the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 61 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $49,000 after purchasing an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.