United Rentals (NYSE:URI) EVP Sells $1,184,753.22 in Stock

United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) EVP William Grace sold 1,498 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $790.89, for a total transaction of $1,184,753.22. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,434,996.08. The trade was a 17.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:URI opened at $873.08 on Thursday. The company’s fifty day moving average is $855.75 and its 200 day moving average is $889.53. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $525.91 and a 52 week high of $1,021.47. The stock has a market cap of $55.00 billion, a PE ratio of 22.57, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.70.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The construction company reported $11.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.86 by ($0.77). United Rentals had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 30.35%. The company had revenue of $4.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.24 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $11.59 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to repurchase up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 11th will be paid a $1.97 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 11th. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. United Rentals’s payout ratio is presently 20.37%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on URI. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup dropped their price objective on United Rentals from $1,090.00 to $950.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on United Rentals from $1,123.00 to $1,041.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $965.00 price target on United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, KeyCorp set a $950.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $925.59.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of URI. CSM Advisors LLC grew its holdings in United Rentals by 28.4% in the fourth quarter. CSM Advisors LLC now owns 32,667 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $26,437,000 after purchasing an additional 7,223 shares during the period. Picton Mahoney Asset Management lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 3.0% during the fourth quarter. Picton Mahoney Asset Management now owns 31,360 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $25,380,000 after purchasing an additional 915 shares during the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 401.4% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 4,513 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,652,000 after purchasing an additional 3,613 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 13.5% in the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 10,027 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $8,115,000 after buying an additional 1,190 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Meeder Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in United Rentals by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 2,537 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,053,000 after buying an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Rentals Company Profile

United Rentals, Inc (NYSE: URI) is a leading equipment rental company headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The firm provides rental solutions and related services to construction, industrial, commercial, and municipal customers. Its business model centers on providing access to a broad fleet of equipment on a short-term or long-term basis, enabling customers to avoid the capital expenditure of ownership and to scale equipment use to match project needs.

The company’s product and service offerings span general construction equipment and a range of specialty categories, including aerial work platforms, earthmoving and excavation machines, material handling equipment, pumps, power and HVAC systems, trench and shoring solutions, and tools.