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

United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) EVP William Grace sold 1,498 shares of the company’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 owned 6,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,434,996.08. This trade represents a 17.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link.

United Rentals Stock Performance

URI traded down $23.30 during trading on Monday, hitting $876.25. The stock had a trading volume of 663,240 shares, compared to its average volume of 804,516. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.20 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.65, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.94. United Rentals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $525.91 and a twelve month high of $1,021.47. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $851.62 and its 200 day moving average price is $889.72.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued 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). The firm had revenue of $4.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.24 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 30.35%. The firm’s revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $11.59 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

United Rentals Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently commented on URI. Citigroup decreased their price objective 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. Barclays lowered their price target on United Rentals from $620.00 to $600.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, October 20th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted 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 report on Friday, January 23rd. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $965.00 price target on United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Rentals in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. Two 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $925.59.

Institutional Trading of United Rentals

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its holdings in United Rentals by 650.0% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 30 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new stake in United Rentals during the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in United Rentals in the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.