GAMMA Investing LLC Buys Shares of 676 United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

GAMMA Investing LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 676 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $422,000.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of URI. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its holdings in United Rentals by 58,829.4% in the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,043,051 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $598,106,000 after purchasing an additional 1,041,281 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its stake in United Rentals by 19.1% during the third quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 933,428 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $414,974,000 after buying an additional 149,838 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp grew its position in United Rentals by 1.5% during the third quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 680,217 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $302,404,000 after buying an additional 10,018 shares in the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its stake in United Rentals by 12.7% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 638,958 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $284,061,000 after acquiring an additional 72,066 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its stake in United Rentals by 9.9% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 390,872 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $173,770,000 after buying an additional 35,295 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Rentals Trading Down 0.5 %

NYSE:URI traded down $3.55 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $657.77. 328,034 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 578,142. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $679.75 and a 200-day moving average price of $575.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $44.18 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.73, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a current ratio of 0.81 and a quick ratio of 0.75. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $325.15 and a 12-month high of $732.37.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The construction company reported $11.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.85 by $0.41. United Rentals had a return on equity of 36.80% and a net margin of 16.91%. The firm had revenue of $3.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.63 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.74 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.13 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals declared that its board has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, January 24th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to reacquire up to 3.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have recently issued reports on URI. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $575.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Barclays raised their price objective on United Rentals from $325.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. BNP Paribas reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $485.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 5th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $718.00 to $790.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $589.21.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $655.62, for a total value of $508,105.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,145,485.26. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Rentals Company Profile

United Rentals, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an equipment rental company. It operates in two segments, General Rentals and Specialty. The General Rentals segment rents general construction and industrial equipment includes backhoes, skid-steer loaders, forklifts, earthmoving equipment, and material handling equipment; aerial work platforms, such as boom and scissor lifts; and general tools and light equipment comprising pressure washers, water pumps, and power tools for construction and industrial companies, manufacturers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners, and government entities.