Are Wall Street Analysts Predicting United Rentals Stock Will Climb or Sink?

Are Wall Street Analysts Predicting United Rentals Stock Will Climb or Sink?

Thu, August 27, 2026 at 6:28 PM GMT+3 3 min read

With a market cap of $65.8 billion, United Rentals, Inc. (URI) is a leading equipment rental company operating through its General Rentals and Specialty segments across the United States, Canada, Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. The company provides a wide range of construction and industrial equipment rentals, sales, and related services to contractors, industrial clients, municipalities, and homeowners.

Shares of the Stamford, Connecticut-based company have lagged behind the broader market over the past 52 weeks. URI stock has risen 9.6% over this time frame, while the broader S&P 500 Index ($SPX) has increased 19%. However, shares of the company have soared 28.5% on a YTD basis, outpacing SPX's 12.7% gain.

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Focusing more closely, shares of the equipment rental company have underperformed the State Street Industrial Select Sector SPDR ETF's (XLI) 16.7% return over the past 52 weeks.

United Rentals shares jumped 10.1% following its Q2 2026 results on Jul. 22 as revenue reached a record $4.41 billion and adjusted EPS of $12.76, both topping the estimates, and rental revenue rose 12.7% to $3.85 billion. The strong quarter was driven by a 3.4% improvement in fleet productivity and robust demand from large construction and industrial projects, reinforcing management's view of continued customer optimism and strong backlogs. The company also raised 2026 revenue guidance to $17.5 billion - $17.8 billion, adjusted EBITDA to $7.98 billion - $8.13 billion, and operating cash flow to $5.85 billion - $6.65 billion.

For the fiscal year ending in December 2026, analysts expect United Rentals' adjusted EPS to grow 15.4% year-over-year to $48.55. The company's earnings surprise history is mixed. It topped the consensus estimates in two of the last four quarters while missing on two other occasions.

Among the 21 analysts covering the stock, the consensus rating is a "Strong Buy." That's based on 15 "Strong Buy" ratings, two "Moderate Buys," three "Holds," and one "Strong Sell."

This configuration is more bullish than three months ago, with 12 "Strong Buy" ratings on the stock.

On Aug. 4, Argus analyst Kristina Ruggeri raised its price target on United Rentals to $1,250 and maintained a "Buy" rating.

The mean price target of $1,277.11 represents a 21.9% premium to URI's current price levels. The Street-high price target of $1,466 suggests a 39.9% potential upside.

On the date of publication, Sohini Mondal did not have (either directly or indirectly) positions in any of the securities mentioned in this article. All information and data in this article is solely for informational purposes. This article was originally published on Barchart.com