United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Receives Average Recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from Brokerages

United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) has been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the eighteen brokerages that are covering the firm, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, sixteen have issued a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $1,246.1875.

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Argus reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $1,250.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Tuesday, August 4th. BNP Paribas Exane upgraded shares of United Rentals from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $1,320.00 target price for the company in a report on Monday, June 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on United Rentals from $1,245.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,101.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on United Rentals from $1,041.00 to $1,119.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.0%

NYSE:URI opened at $1,116.17 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.76 and a quick ratio of 0.70. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $1,098.29 and its 200-day moving average price is $946.28. The company has a market capitalization of $69.47 billion, a PE ratio of 26.81, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.80. United Rentals has a 1-year low of $701.59 and a 1-year high of $1,179.18.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The construction company reported $12.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.53 by $1.23. United Rentals had a net margin of 15.67% and a return on equity of 31.72%. The company had revenue of $4.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.22 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $10.47 EPS. United Rentals’s revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities analysts predict that United Rentals will post 48.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be paid a $1.97 dividend. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 12th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other news, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,133.15, for a total transaction of $1,699,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,062 shares in the company, valued at $6,869,155.30. This trade represents a 19.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.47% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Rentals

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in United Rentals by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 967 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $783,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. PFG Investments LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 0.9% in the first quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,172 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $854,000 after buying an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 16.9% during the second quarter. CoreCap Advisors LLC now owns 76 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $86,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 2.9% during the second quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 387 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $292,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 3.9% during the fourth quarter. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 322 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $260,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.