United Rentals, Inc. $URI Shares Acquired by Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.

Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. increased its position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 1,358.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 8,227 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 7,663 shares during the period. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $6,658,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in URI. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its stake in United Rentals by 73.3% in the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 5,740 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,533,000 after purchasing an additional 2,428 shares during the period. National Pension Service raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 4.5% in the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 103,146 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $98,469,000 after buying an additional 4,415 shares during the last quarter. North Growth Management Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 22.2% in the third quarter. North Growth Management Ltd. now owns 11,000 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $10,189,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 37.2% during the third quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,608 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,308,000 after buying an additional 1,790 shares during the period. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 11.6% during the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 9,108 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $8,695,000 after buying an additional 947 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on URI. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup decreased their price objective on United Rentals from $1,090.00 to $950.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their target price on United Rentals from $1,123.00 to $1,041.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on United Rentals from $1,150.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $965.00 price target on United Rentals in a report on Friday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Rentals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $925.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Rentals news, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $790.89, for a total transaction of $1,184,753.22. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,872 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,434,996.08. The trade was a 17.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $791.14, for a total transaction of $1,969,938.60. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 7,458 shares in the company, valued at $5,900,322.12. The trade was a 25.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Trading Down 0.1%

NYSE URI opened at $733.75 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.66. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $525.91 and a 52-week high of $1,021.47. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $831.19 and a 200 day moving average price of $864.80.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The construction company reported $11.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.86 by ($0.77). The business had revenue of $4.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.24 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 30.35%. United Rentals’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $11.59 EPS. Equities research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 11th were issued a dividend of $1.97 per share. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 11th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.37%.

United Rentals announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to reacquire up to 8.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

About United Rentals

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.