Brokerages Set United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Price Target at $925.59

United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) has received an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are covering the company, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, twelve have issued a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating on the company. The average 1-year price objective among brokers that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $925.5882.

URI has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Truist Financial set a $972.00 price objective on United Rentals in a report on Friday, January 30th. KeyCorp set a $950.00 target price on United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $965.00 target price on United Rentals in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on United Rentals from $1,090.00 to $950.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 2nd.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Rentals news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $791.14, for a total transaction of $1,969,938.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 7,458 shares in the company, valued at $5,900,322.12. This represents a 25.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $790.89, for a total value of $1,184,753.22. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,872 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,434,996.08. This represents a 17.90% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Rentals

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its position in United Rentals by 650.0% during the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 30 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in United Rentals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Trading Up 2.1%

URI stock opened at $908.05 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $865.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $889.57. United Rentals has a 52 week low of $525.91 and a 52 week high of $1,021.47. The company has a market capitalization of $57.21 billion, a PE ratio of 23.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.70.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The construction company reported $11.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.86 by ($0.77). The business had revenue of $4.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.24 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.35% and a net margin of 15.49%.United Rentals’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $11.59 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Rentals will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th will be issued a $1.97 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 11th. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. United Rentals’s payout ratio is 20.37%.

United Rentals declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to purchase up to 8.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

About United Rentals

United Rentals, Inc (NYSE: URI) is a leading equipment rental company headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The firm provides rental solutions and related services to construction, industrial, commercial, and municipal customers. Its business model centers on providing access to a broad fleet of equipment on a short-term or long-term basis, enabling customers to avoid the capital expenditure of ownership and to scale equipment use to match project needs.

The company’s product and service offerings span general construction equipment and a range of specialty categories, including aerial work platforms, earthmoving and excavation machines, material handling equipment, pumps, power and HVAC systems, trench and shoring solutions, and tools.