Whittier Trust Co. Buys 1,529 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Whittier Trust Co. raised its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 2.6% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 61,408 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 1,529 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. owned about 0.10% of United Rentals worth $54,782,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 73.3% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 5,740 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,533,000 after purchasing an additional 2,428 shares during the period. National Pension Service lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 4.5% in the 3rd quarter. National Pension Service now owns 103,146 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $98,469,000 after purchasing an additional 4,415 shares during the period. North Growth Management Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 22.2% in the 3rd quarter. North Growth Management Ltd. now owns 11,000 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $10,189,000 after purchasing an additional 2,000 shares during the period. HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 37.2% in the 3rd quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,608 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $6,308,000 after purchasing an additional 1,790 shares during the period. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 11.6% in the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 9,108 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $8,695,000 after purchasing an additional 947 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Up 1.5%

URI stock opened at $777.03 on Friday. United Rentals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $557.05 and a twelve month high of $1,021.47. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $797.06 and its 200-day moving average is $846.99. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.86 billion, a PE ratio of 20.09, a P/E/G ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.68.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The construction company reported $11.09 earnings per share 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $11.59 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 11th were given a dividend of $1.97 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 11th. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.37%.

United Rentals announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to repurchase up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on URI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on United Rentals from $970.00 to $850.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $903.00 price target on United Rentals and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on United Rentals from $1,123.00 to $1,041.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price objective on United Rentals from $1,090.00 to $950.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $914.88.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $791.14, for a total transaction of $1,969,938.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 7,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,900,322.12. This trade represents a 25.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $790.89, for a total value of $1,184,753.22. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,434,996.08. The trade was a 17.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

About United Rentals

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.