United Rentals (NYSE:URI) Upgraded at Sanford C. Bernstein

Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of United Rentals (NYSE:URI) from an underperform rating to a market perform rating in a report published on Tuesday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. Sanford C. Bernstein currently has $666.00 price target on the construction company’s stock, down from their previous price target of $705.00.

Several other research analysts have also commented on URI. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $956.00 price objective (down from $963.00) on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $804.15.

United Rentals Trading Up 1.0 %

URI stock opened at $653.71 on Tuesday. 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 company has a market cap of $42.69 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.87, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $694.07 and a 200-day simple moving average of $756.62. United Rentals has a 52 week low of $585.27 and a 52 week high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Rentals will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is 18.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. 111 Capital acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $740,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 15.2% during the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 6,371 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,488,000 after purchasing an additional 839 shares during the period. Northstar Financial Companies Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth about $259,000. Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 999 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $704,000 after buying an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mattson Financial Services LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 12.1% in the 4th quarter. Mattson Financial Services LLC now owns 3,020 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,127,000 after buying an additional 325 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

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.