By otakuyassine3@gmail.com 
United Rentals (NYSE:URI – Get Free Report) was upgraded by stock analysts at Sanford C. Bernstein from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday, Marketbeat.com reports. The firm presently has a $666.00 price objective on the construction company’s stock, down from their previous price objective of $705.00. Sanford C. Bernstein’s price objective would indicate a potential upside of 3.85% from the stock’s current price.
A number of other equities analysts have also recently issued reports on the company. Baird R W upgraded United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Bank of America cut their target price on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $804.15.
Get Our Latest Research Report on United Rentals
United Rentals Stock Down 1.9 %
URI stock opened at $641.30 on Tuesday. United Rentals has a 1-year low of $585.27 and a 1-year high of $896.98. The stock has a market cap of $41.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.55, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company’s 50 day moving average is $692.06 and its 200 day moving average is $755.82.
United Rentals (NYSE:URI – Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. Sell-side analysts predict that United Rentals will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.
Insider Activity at United Rentals
In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total transaction of $701,910.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,390,128. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.
Institutional Trading of United Rentals
Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. FMR LLC raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,416,568 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,956,768,000 after acquiring an additional 85,325 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of United Rentals by 17.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,221,228 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,564,722,000 after buying an additional 323,636 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,587,203 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,115,142,000 after acquiring an additional 20,401 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its position in United Rentals by 16.0% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,250,324 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $880,778,000 after acquiring an additional 172,340 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in United Rentals by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,093,350 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $770,199,000 after acquiring an additional 97,336 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently 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.
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