Back to top

Image: Bigstock

Are Investors Undervaluing United Rentals (URI) Right Now?

Read MoreHide Full Article

Here at Zacks, our focus is on the proven Zacks Rank system, which emphasizes earnings estimates and estimate revisions to find great stocks. Nevertheless, we are always paying attention to the latest value, growth, and momentum trends to underscore strong picks.

Of these, perhaps no stock market trend is more popular than value investing, which is a strategy that has proven to be successful in all sorts of market environments. Value investors use a variety of methods, including tried-and-true valuation metrics, to find these stocks.

Zacks has developed the innovative Style Scores system to highlight stocks with specific traits. For example, value investors will be interested in stocks with great grades in the "Value" category. When paired with a high Zacks Rank, "A" grades in the Value category are among the strongest value stocks on the market today.

One company value investors might notice is United Rentals (URI - Free Report) . URI is currently sporting a Zacks Rank of #2 (Buy), as well as a Value grade of A. The stock is trading with a P/E ratio of 9.57, which compares to its industry's average of 12.41. Over the last 12 months, URI's Forward P/E has been as high as 15.80 and as low as 7.49, with a median of 9.75.

Investors should also note that URI holds a PEG ratio of 0.53. This popular figure is similar to the widely-used P/E ratio, but the PEG ratio also considers a company's expected EPS growth rate. URI's PEG compares to its industry's average PEG of 1.45. Within the past year, URI's PEG has been as high as 0.87 and as low as 0.43, with a median of 0.55.

Finally, we should also recognize that URI has a P/CF ratio of 5.89. This data point considers a firm's operating cash flow and is frequently used to find companies that are undervalued when considering their solid cash outlook. This company's current P/CF looks solid when compared to its industry's average P/CF of 15.06. Over the past 52 weeks, URI's P/CF has been as high as 8.25 and as low as 4.44, with a median of 5.99.

Value investors will likely look at more than just these metrics, but the above data helps show that United Rentals is likely undervalued currently. And when considering the strength of its earnings outlook, URI sticks out at as one of the market's strongest value stocks.


See More Zacks Research for These Tickers


Normally $25 each - click below to receive one report FREE:


United Rentals, Inc. (URI) - free report >>

Published in