456 Shares in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Purchased by GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC.

GUNN & Co INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT INC. bought a new stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 456 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $261,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 71.4% in the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 48 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its stake in United Rentals by 1,525.0% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 65 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $37,000 after acquiring an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Up 2.5 %

Shares of NYSE URI traded up $16.68 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $683.34. The company had a trading volume of 348,368 shares, compared to its average volume of 585,772. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $683.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $588.62. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $325.91 and a 52-week high of $732.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The stock has a market cap of $45.50 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.06, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.82.

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

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 8th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 7th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 17.66%.

United Rentals declared that its board has initiated a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, January 24th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the construction company to purchase up to 3.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on URI. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective 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. Truist Financial increased their price objective on United Rentals from $793.00 to $796.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Barclays boosted their target price on United Rentals from $325.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Oppenheimer reaffirmed a “market perform” rating on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Monday, April 29th. Finally, Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on United Rentals from $575.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Rentals presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $600.79.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 8,379 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction 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 approximately $72,341,742. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, COO Michael D. Durand sold 559 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $674.56, for a total value of $377,079.04. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 8,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,431,557.12. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 8,379 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 owns 103,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $72,341,742. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 9,713 shares of company stock valued at $6,747,384. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.