United Rentals (NYSE:URI) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)’s share price gapped up prior to trading on Tuesday . The stock had previously closed at $689.15, but opened at $727.00. United Rentals shares last traded at $718.48, with a volume of 170,327 shares changing hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on URI shares. Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $955.00 to $985.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, December 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of United Rentals from $780.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Argus lifted their price objective on United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Bank of America increased their target price on United Rentals from $800.00 to $910.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, 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 report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $817.75.

United Rentals Stock Up 4.0 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.77. The firm has a market cap of $47.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.72, a PEG ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.69. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $787.08 and its 200 day moving average price is $759.44.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $11.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $12.49 by ($0.69). The company had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.01 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.73% and a net margin of 17.12%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $11.73 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, November 13th were given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other news, SVP Anthony S. Leopold sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $823.24, for a total transaction of $740,916.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,044 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,682,702.56. The trade was a 30.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of United Rentals

A number of hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth $26,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new position in United Rentals during the third quarter valued at about $31,000. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 80.0% in the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 45 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. HM Payson & Co. bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 6,000.0% in the 3rd quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 61 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 60 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other 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.