United Rentals (NYSE:URI) Price Target Raised to $750.00 at Stifel Nicolaus

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) had its price objective hoisted by equities research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $720.00 to $750.00 in a research report issued on Friday, Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the construction company’s stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price objective would suggest a potential upside of 9.55% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on URI. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on United Rentals from $322.00 to $559.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of United Rentals in a report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of United Rentals from $575.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. BNP Paribas restated an “underperform” rating and set a $485.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 5th. Finally, Barclays increased their price objective 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 assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $600.57.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.9 %

URI traded down $6.31 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $684.61. 234,674 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 583,584. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $680.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $576.87. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.99 billion, a PE ratio of 18.47, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.81. United Rentals has a 1 year low of $325.15 and a 1 year high of $732.37.

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 the consensus estimate 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 net margin of 17.31% and a return on equity of 36.85%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $7.95 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Rentals will post 43.13 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, January 24th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to buy up to 3.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Rentals news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Rentals

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 21,568 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $9,588,000 after buying an additional 1,304 shares in the last quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $2,351,000. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $257,000. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. now owns 9,487 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,218,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 55.5% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 6,413 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,677,000 after purchasing an additional 2,289 shares during the last quarter. 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.