Aberdeen Group plc Sells 1,310 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Aberdeen Group plc decreased its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 2.7% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 46,622 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,310 shares during the quarter. Aberdeen Group plc owned approximately 0.07% of United Rentals worth $37,732,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of URI. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 22.8% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,402,524 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,247,762,000 after purchasing an additional 631,484 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 6.7% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,678,614 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,557,158,000 after acquiring an additional 168,685 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 6.8% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,315,086 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,255,460,000 after acquiring an additional 83,978 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,088,209 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,038,870,000 after purchasing an additional 57,977 shares during the period. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 948,386 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $905,313,000 after purchasing an additional 26,847 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Rentals Trading Down 0.0%

URI opened at $732.08 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.04 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.93, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.68. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $525.91 and a 12 month high of $1,021.47. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $811.00 and its 200 day simple moving average is $857.58.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its 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 firm had revenue of $4.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.24 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.35% and a net margin of 15.49%.United Rentals’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $11.59 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

United Rentals Increases Dividend

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

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of the company’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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,900,322.12. This represents a 25.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of the firm’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 transaction of $1,184,753.22. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,434,996.08. This represents a 17.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

URI has been the topic of several analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. 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. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their target price on shares of United Rentals from $1,123.00 to $1,041.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of United Rentals from $1,090.00 to $950.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of United Rentals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $1,025.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Sunday, January 4th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Rentals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $925.59.

United Rentals 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.