Courier Capital LLC Takes Position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Courier Capital LLC acquired a new stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund acquired 354 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $203,000.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 6.4% in the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 21,568 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $9,588,000 after buying an additional 1,304 shares in the last quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. boosted its holdings in United Rentals by 0.6% in the third quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. now owns 9,487 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,218,000 after purchasing an additional 58 shares during the period. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new position in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at $22,529,000. Key Square Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals in the second quarter valued at $5,473,000. Finally, Teza Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in United Rentals by 40.5% in the third quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 5,012 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,228,000 after purchasing an additional 1,445 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $655.62, for a total transaction of $508,105.50. Following 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 filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

URI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on United Rentals from $510.00 to $718.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Evercore ISI lifted their price target on United Rentals from $575.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. BNP Paribas reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and set a $485.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, January 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on United Rentals from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Morgan Stanley started coverage on United Rentals in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $500.00 target price on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $572.20.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:URI opened at $720.15 on Thursday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $660.00 and its 200-day simple moving average is $543.15. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.75. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $325.15 and a 12 month high of $732.37.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The construction company reported $11.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.85 by $0.41. The business had revenue of $3.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.63 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 36.80% and a net margin of 16.91%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.74 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 42.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, January 24th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to buy up to 3.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 14th were paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 13th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.91%. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.48. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.44%.

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.