Bleakley Financial Group LLC Grows Position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Bleakley Financial Group LLC boosted its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 13.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 2,081 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 251 shares during the quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $1,193,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. grew its holdings in United Rentals by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Advisory Services Inc. now owns 1,687 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $967,000 after purchasing an additional 47 shares during the period. Americana Partners LLC grew its holdings in United Rentals by 4.3% in the fourth quarter. Americana Partners LLC now owns 563 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $323,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. Edmp Inc. grew its holdings in United Rentals by 3.3% in the fourth quarter. Edmp Inc. now owns 1,173 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $672,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. RKL Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in United Rentals by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. RKL Wealth Management LLC now owns 7,234 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $4,148,000 after purchasing an additional 112 shares during the period. Finally, 180 Wealth Advisors LLC grew its holdings in United Rentals by 6.1% in the fourth quarter. 180 Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 2,171 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,231,000 after purchasing an additional 124 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

URI has been the subject of several research reports. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $575.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Barclays boosted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $325.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $322.00 to $559.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Citigroup boosted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $490.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 15th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $494.00 to $591.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $572.20.

United Rentals Stock Up 0.5 %

Shares of NYSE:URI opened at $685.64 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.37 and a beta of 1.84. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $325.15 and a 1-year high of $732.37. The company’s fifty day moving average is $680.11 and its two-hundred day moving average is $561.80. 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 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 during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.63 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 36.80%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $9.74 earnings per share. Equities analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.05 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 14th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 13th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.48. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.44%.

United Rentals declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback plan on Wednesday, January 24th that authorizes the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to reacquire up to 3.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

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

United Rentals Company 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.