Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Boosts Position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC raised its position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 75.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,700 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 731 shares during the quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $975,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $80,000. RFG Advisory LLC grew its position in United Rentals by 19.1% in the fourth quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 1,043 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $598,000 after acquiring an additional 167 shares in the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC acquired a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $239,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in United Rentals by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,819 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,043,000 after acquiring an additional 49 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Bleakley Financial Group LLC grew its position in United Rentals by 13.7% in the fourth quarter. Bleakley Financial Group LLC now owns 2,081 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,193,000 after acquiring an additional 251 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of United Rentals 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,323 shares in the company, valued at $4,145,485.26. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Rentals Stock Performance

URI stock opened at $674.81 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.09, a PEG ratio of 2.34 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $680.53 and its two-hundred day moving average is $565.11.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The construction company reported $11.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.85 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $3.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.63 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 36.80% and a net margin of 16.91%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business posted $9.74 earnings per share. On average, research analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.05 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals declared that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, January 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to buy up to 3.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 14th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 13th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.44%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on URI. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $494.00 to $591.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, December 19th. BNP Paribas reissued an “underperform” rating and set a $485.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 5th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of United Rentals from $510.00 to $718.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 29th. Truist Financial started coverage on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $793.00 price target for the company. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of United Rentals from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $584.07.

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.