Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank Boosts Stock Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 19.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 41,683 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 6,700 shares during the period. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $33,735,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of URI. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew 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 worth $5,533,000 after buying an additional 2,428 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service grew 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 worth $98,469,000 after buying an additional 4,415 shares in the last quarter. North Growth Management Ltd. grew 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 worth $10,189,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC grew 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 worth $6,308,000 after buying an additional 1,790 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance grew 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 worth $8,695,000 after buying an additional 947 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In related news, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $5,434,996.08. This trade represents a 17.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $791.14, for a total transaction of $1,969,938.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 7,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,900,322.12. The trade was a 25.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Company insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on URI. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $903.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Robert W. Baird set a $970.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $995.00 to $1,071.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of 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 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $914.88.

United Rentals Price Performance

URI stock opened at $807.16 on Wednesday. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $557.05 and a 12 month high of $1,021.47. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $792.33 and a 200 day moving average price of $841.99. The stock has a market cap of $50.76 billion, a PE ratio of 20.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.68.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The construction company reported $11.09 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.86 by ($0.77). United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.35% and a net margin of 15.49%.The firm had revenue of $4.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $11.59 earnings per share. United Rentals’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 46.6 earnings per share for the current year.

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

United Rentals Increases Dividend

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

United Rentals 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.