First National Trust Co Invests $293,000 in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

First National Trust Co purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 511 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $293,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Sapient Capital LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $1,421,000. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in United Rentals by 7.0% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 5,652 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,240,000 after buying an additional 368 shares in the last quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 1,780.0% in the 4th quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 376 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $215,000 after acquiring an additional 356 shares during the period. LGT Group Foundation raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 14.6% during the 4th quarter. LGT Group Foundation now owns 8,044 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,655,000 after buying an additional 1,023 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 12.8% during the 4th quarter. First Trust Direct Indexing L.P. now owns 2,175 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,247,000 after purchasing an additional 247 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of analysts have issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer reissued a “market perform” rating on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on United Rentals from $322.00 to $559.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Barclays raised their price target on United Rentals from $325.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their target price on United Rentals from $575.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Rentals currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $600.79.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 8,379 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $699.63, for a total value of $5,862,199.77. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $72,341,742. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other United Rentals news, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 8,379 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $699.63, for a total transaction of $5,862,199.77. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,400 shares in the company, valued at $72,341,742. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $655.62, for a total value of $508,105.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,145,485.26. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 9,713 shares of company stock worth $6,747,384. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Rentals Price Performance

NYSE:URI traded up $10.53 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $677.19. The company had a trading volume of 25,123 shares, compared to its average volume of 581,982. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $683.37 and a two-hundred day moving average of $588.62. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $325.91 and a one year high of $732.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.09 billion, a PE ratio of 18.06, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.82.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $9.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.35 by $0.80. United Rentals had a net margin of 17.31% and a return on equity of 36.44%. The business had revenue of $3.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.44 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.95 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.61 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 7th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.96%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is 17.66%.

United Rentals declared that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, January 24th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to reacquire up to 3.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

United Rentals Profile

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.