United Rentals (NYSE:URI) Sets New 1-Year Low – Time to Sell?

United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) hit a new 52-week low on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $593.85 and last traded at $604.20, with a volume of 47412 shares. The stock had previously closed at $617.52.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on URI shares. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $956.00 target price (down previously from $963.00) on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, January 31st. Argus increased their price objective on United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Baird R W raised shares of United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised shares of 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, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Rentals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $829.00.

United Rentals Stock Down 1.8 %

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 fifty day simple moving average of $714.93 and a 200-day simple moving average of $766.18. The firm has a market cap of $40.66 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.08, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.15%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is 18.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total transaction of $701,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of United Rentals

Hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 14,855 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,464,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Retireful LLC acquired a new stake in United Rentals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $697,000. Fiduciary Alliance LLC grew its holdings in United Rentals by 196.5% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,420 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,000,000 after acquiring an additional 941 shares during the last quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its position in United Rentals by 1,067.5% in the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 59,879 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $48,486,000 after acquiring an additional 54,750 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 732,954 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $517,018,000 after purchasing an additional 52,037 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.