DNB Asset Management AS Acquires 532 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. $URI

DNB Asset Management AS raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 2.9% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 19,015 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 532 shares during the quarter. DNB Asset Management AS’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $15,389,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Gleason Group Inc. lifted its position in United Rentals by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 269 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $218,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. lifted its position in United Rentals by 1.2% during the fourth quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 967 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $783,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. lifted its position in United Rentals by 2.9% during the second quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 387 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $292,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 3.1% in the 3rd quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 395 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $377,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fearless Solutions LLC dba Best Invest lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Fearless Solutions LLC dba Best Invest now owns 554 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $448,000 after acquiring an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Trading Up 0.0%

URI stock opened at $961.22 on Monday. The company has a market capitalization of $60.22 billion, a PE ratio of 24.52, a P/E/G ratio of 1.53 and a beta of 1.83. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $681.98 and a 12 month high of $1,021.47. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $818.01 and its 200 day moving average is $838.75. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.47 by ($1.76). The company had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.20 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.56% and a net margin of 15.32%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $8.86 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 47.07 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 13th will be paid a $1.97 dividend. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 13th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.10%.

United Rentals declared that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to buy up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on URI shares. KeyCorp raised their target price on shares of United Rentals from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of United Rentals from $995.00 to $1,071.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $1,030.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,101.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a report on Monday, May 11th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Rentals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $996.94.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In related news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 548 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $977.86, for a total value of $535,867.28. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 1,865 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,823,708.90. This trade represents a 22.71% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 22,768 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $984.98, for a total transaction of $22,426,024.64. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 99,980 shares in the company, valued at $98,478,300.40. This represents a 18.55% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 26,088 shares of company stock worth $25,628,877. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.