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 research note 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.

A number of other brokerages also recently commented on URI. Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $956.00 price target (down previously from $963.00) on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird upgraded United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Baird R W upgraded United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price target on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $804.15.

United Rentals Stock Performance

URI opened at $647.13 on Tuesday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $689.85 and its 200 day simple moving average is $755.06. United Rentals has a 52-week low of $585.27 and a 52-week high of $896.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.26 billion, a PE ratio of 16.70, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share (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%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Rentals will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.11%. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.48%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Rentals news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total transaction of $701,910.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Rentals

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