United Rentals, Inc. $URI Shares Sold by Denali Advisors LLC

Denali Advisors LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 41.7% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 1,155 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 825 shares during the period. Denali Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $1,103,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its stake in United Rentals by 650.0% during the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 30 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals during the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new stake in United Rentals during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new stake in United Rentals during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new stake in United Rentals in the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on URI. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. KeyCorp set a $950.00 target price on United Rentals in a report on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group raised shares of United Rentals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $1,025.00 price target for the company in a report on Sunday, January 4th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $995.00 to $1,071.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $970.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, January 30th. Two equities research 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 given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $925.59.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In other news, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,872 shares in the company, valued at $5,434,996.08. This represents a 17.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,900,322.12. This represents a 25.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:URI opened at $868.85 on Tuesday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $860.16 and a 200 day simple moving average of $889.19. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $525.91 and a 52 week high of $1,021.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company has a market cap of $54.74 billion, a PE ratio of 22.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.39 and a beta of 1.70.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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). The firm had revenue of $4.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.24 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.35% and a net margin of 15.49%.The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $11.59 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th will be given a dividend of $1.97 per share. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 11th. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is 20.37%.

United Rentals announced that its Board of Directors has initiated 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 usually an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

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.