Caprock Group LLC Makes New $5.57 Million Investment in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Caprock Group LLC purchased a new stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) during the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm purchased 5,828 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,574,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in United Rentals by 1.0% in the second quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,494,303 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,646,208,000 after acquiring an additional 72,267 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 71.3% in the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,874,127 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,411,968,000 after purchasing an additional 780,322 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in United Rentals by 6.1% during the 2nd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,231,108 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $927,517,000 after buying an additional 70,870 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in United Rentals by 3.7% during the 2nd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,030,232 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $776,177,000 after buying an additional 36,991 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in United Rentals in the second quarter valued at about $776,102,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Rentals news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $791.14, for a total value of $1,969,938.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,458 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,900,322.12. This represents a 25.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $790.89, for a total value of $1,184,753.22. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,872 shares in the company, valued at $5,434,996.08. This trade represents a 17.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on URI shares. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on shares of 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. Robert W. Baird set a $970.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $965.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $995.00 to $1,071.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on United Rentals from $1,150.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $925.59.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.4%

United Rentals stock opened at $873.08 on Thursday. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $855.75 and its 200 day moving average price is $889.53. 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 firm has a market cap of $55.00 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.70. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $525.91 and a 52 week high of $1,021.47.

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

United Rentals declared that its Board of Directors has initiated 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company 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. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 11th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.37%.

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.