Capital Analysts LLC Sells 116 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Capital Analysts LLC reduced its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 22.9% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm owned 391 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 116 shares during the quarter. Capital Analysts LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $224,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in URI. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 7,691.1% in the 1st quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 3,506 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,245,000 after purchasing an additional 3,461 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 14.6% in the 1st quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 2,296 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $815,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 16.8% in the 1st quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 7,941 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,821,000 after purchasing an additional 1,140 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 50.1% in the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,914 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $678,000 after purchasing an additional 639 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudential PLC bought a new position in United Rentals in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $560,000. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Rentals Trading Down 3.0 %

Shares of URI stock opened at $636.21 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $680.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $568.62. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $325.15 and a 52-week high of $732.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.73 billion, a PE ratio of 18.00, a PEG ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.81.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The construction company reported $11.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.85 by $0.41. United Rentals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 36.80%. The business had revenue of $3.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.63 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.74 EPS. The business’s revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, January 24th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to buy up to 3.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are generally an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 13th. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.48. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is 18.44%.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $655.62, for a total value of $508,105.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,145,485.26. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms recently issued reports on URI. Barclays upped their price objective on United Rentals from $325.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on United Rentals from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. BNP Paribas reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $485.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on United Rentals from $718.00 to $790.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Truist Financial began coverage on United Rentals in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $793.00 price objective on the stock. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $589.21.

About United Rentals

United Rentals, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an equipment rental company. It operates in two segments, General Rentals and Specialty. The General Rentals segment rents general construction and industrial equipment includes backhoes, skid-steer loaders, forklifts, earthmoving equipment, and material handling equipment; aerial work platforms, such as boom and scissor lifts; and general tools and light equipment comprising pressure washers, water pumps, and power tools for construction and industrial companies, manufacturers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners, and government entities.