United Rentals (NYSE:URI) EVP William Grace Sells 1,498 Shares

United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) EVP William Grace sold 1,498 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $790.89, for a total value of $1,184,753.22. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,872 shares in the company, valued at $5,434,996.08. The trade was a 17.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of URI stock opened at $876.25 on Tuesday. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $853.05 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $889.74. United Rentals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $525.91 and a twelve month high of $1,021.47. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.65, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41.

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

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 11th will be given a dividend of $1.97 per share. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 11th. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. United Rentals’s payout ratio is currently 18.51%.

United Rentals announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the construction company to purchase up to 8.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

URI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Citigroup cut their target price on United Rentals from $1,090.00 to $950.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on United Rentals from $1,150.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $965.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 30th. KeyCorp set a $950.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on United Rentals from $995.00 to $1,071.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $925.59.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Optas LLC boosted its holdings in United Rentals by 0.9% in the 3rd quarter. Optas LLC now owns 1,174 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,121,000 after acquiring an additional 10 shares during the period. CreativeOne Wealth LLC increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 0.5% in the 2nd quarter. CreativeOne Wealth LLC now owns 2,283 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,720,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 6.7% in the 3rd quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management now owns 175 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $167,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Gleason Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 269 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Bridgewater Advisors Inc. grew its stake in United Rentals by 1.2% in the fourth quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 967 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $783,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Rentals Company 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.