United Rentals (NYSE:URI) Price Target Increased to $750.00 by Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) had its price objective raised by Stifel Nicolaus from $720.00 to $750.00 in a report issued on Friday morning, Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the construction company’s stock.

URI has been the topic of several other reports. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an equal weight rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of United Rentals from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. BNP Paribas restated an underperform rating and set a $485.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, January 5th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on United Rentals from $322.00 to $559.00 and gave the company an underperform rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price target on United Rentals from $325.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an underweight rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of Hold and a consensus target price of $600.57.

United Rentals Trading Down 0.0 %

Shares of URI opened at $690.77 on Friday. United Rentals has a twelve month low of $325.15 and a twelve month high of $732.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.00 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.71, a PEG ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.84. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $681.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $578.63.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $9.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.35 by $0.80. The business had revenue of $3.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.44 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 36.44% and a net margin of 17.31%. The company’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $7.95 EPS. On average, research analysts predict that United Rentals will post 43.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 8th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 7th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.94%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.66%.

United Rentals declared that its board has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, January 24th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to repurchase up to 3.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $655.62, for a total value of $508,105.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,145,485.26. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Rentals

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Exchange Traded Concepts LLC acquired a new stake in United Rentals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $281,000. Czech National Bank lifted its stake in United Rentals by 46.7% during the third quarter. Czech National Bank now owns 11,934 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,305,000 after purchasing an additional 3,797 shares during the last quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in United Rentals by 4.4% during the third quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 11,429 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,081,000 after buying an additional 486 shares in the last quarter. Patriot Financial Group Insurance Agency LLC bought a new position in shares of United Rentals in the third quarter valued at $214,000. Finally, Valeo Financial Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 21.3% during the 3rd quarter. Valeo Financial Advisors LLC now owns 616 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $274,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.