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

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

A number of other analysts have also issued reports on URI. Evercore ISI raised their target price on United Rentals from $575.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of United Rentals from $322.00 to $559.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley initiated 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 for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $718.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of United Rentals from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $600.57.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.9 %

Shares of URI stock traded down $6.31 on Friday, hitting $684.61. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 234,674 shares, compared to its average volume of 583,584. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.99 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.47, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.84. United Rentals has a fifty-two week low of $325.15 and a fifty-two week high of $732.37. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $680.37 and its 200-day moving average price is $576.87. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.75.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $9.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.35 by $0.80. The business had revenue of $3.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.44 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 36.85% and a net margin of 17.31%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $7.95 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that United Rentals will post 43.13 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Wednesday, January 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to reacquire up to 3.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $655.62, for a total transaction of $508,105.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,145,485.26. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Rentals

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in United Rentals in the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. First Financial Corp IN bought a new position in shares of United Rentals during the first quarter worth about $25,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its position in United Rentals by 71.4% in the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 48 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new stake in United Rentals in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the third quarter worth $29,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by 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.