United Rentals, Inc. (URI) - Zacks #1 Rank Top Performers
January 17 2012 - 7:00PM
Zacks
The economy is improving, but doing so at its own sluggish pace. So
renting is still preferable for many consumers and businesses.
United Rentals, Inc. (URI) has surely been a beneficiary of
this, and today it rode a solid session to the apex of the Zacks #1
Rank Top Performers List.
Shares of the company surged 9.2% Wednesday, far outpacing all
other top performers. Volume surpassed 6.5 million, compared to the
daily average of 1.7 million.
The company’s third quarter report was the first time since the
third quarter of the previous year that URI surpassed profit
expectations. The company reported 92 cents per share, which was
approximately 21% better than the Zacks Consensus Estimate of 76
cents.
Rental revenue jumped 19.1% in the quarter. URI also updated its
full-year financial targets.
Since that report, earnings estimates for 2011 have been on the
rise. The Zacks Consensus Estimate for last year is up 7.2% in the
past three months to $1.64 per share from $1.53. In fact, just the
past 30 days have seen three upward revisions out of eight total
estimates.
As for 2012, the Zacks Consensus Estimate is currently $2.43 per
share, which suggests year-over-year profit growth of nearly
50%.
![](http://www.zacks.com/images/upload_dir/1326923910.jpg)
URI is scheduled to report again next week on January 25th. We
are expecting fourth-quarter earnings at 58 cents, which is up
11.5% in three months and 5.4% in 30 days.
Mid December saw United Rentals announce a $4.2 billion deal to
buy RSC Holdings, Inc., a holding company for the operating entity
RSC Equipment Rental, Inc. According to the press release, the
transaction is ” expected to accelerate United Rentals’ growth with
industrial customers as well as provide a lower cost base and a
less volatile revenue profile to better position the company
through all phases of the business cycle.”
Wall Street liked the move, though there is some concern about
the $2.3 billion in net debt that URI will assume as part of the
deal.
United Rentals, Inc. is the largest equipment rental company in
the world, with an integrated network of 541 rental locations in 48
states and 10 Canadian provinces. It serves construction and
industrial customers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners and
others.
UTD RENTALS INC (URI): Free Stock Analysis Report
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