United Rentals (URI) Set to Announce Earnings on Wednesday

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) is scheduled to be announcing its earnings results after the market closes on Wednesday, April 24th. Analysts expect the company to announce earnings of $8.39 per share for the quarter. Investors interested in participating in the company’s conference call can do so using this link.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The construction company reported $11.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.85 by $0.41. United Rentals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 36.80%. The company had revenue of $3.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.63 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.74 EPS. United Rentals’s quarterly revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts expect United Rentals to post $43 EPS for the current fiscal year and $46 EPS for the next fiscal year.

United Rentals Price Performance

United Rentals stock opened at $629.30 on Tuesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $679.24 and its 200 day simple moving average is $573.90. United Rentals has a 12 month low of $325.15 and a 12 month high of $732.37. The company has a market cap of $42.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.80, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

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

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 14th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 13th. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.48. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.44%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages recently commented on URI. 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. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on United Rentals from $322.00 to $559.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on United Rentals from $575.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on United Rentals from $718.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on United Rentals from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $589.21.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $655.62, for a total value of $508,105.50. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Rentals Company Profile

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.