United Rentals, Inc. $URI Shares Sold by Vinva Investment Management Ltd

Vinva Investment Management Ltd lowered its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 78.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 930 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 3,446 shares during the quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $878,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in URI. Parallel Advisors LLC lifted its position in United Rentals by 1.9% during the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,465 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,399,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 5.4% in the third quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC now owns 163,334 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $155,929,000 after purchasing an additional 8,333 shares during the period. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 3.1% during the third quarter. Grantham Mayo Van Otterloo & Co. LLC now owns 825 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $788,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the last quarter. Munich Reinsurance Co Stock Corp in Munich purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the third quarter worth approximately $124,000. Finally, Blair William & Co. IL lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 3.7% during the third quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 7,236 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,908,000 after purchasing an additional 261 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Rentals Stock Down 5.6%

URI stock opened at $774.86 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $48.82 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.03, a P/E/G ratio of 1.33 and a beta of 1.66. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $525.91 and a 52 week high of $1,021.47. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $871.98 and its 200 day moving average price is $884.59. 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 (NYSE:URI) last issued 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). United Rentals had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 30.35%. The company had revenue of $4.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.24 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $11.59 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 11th were paid a $1.97 dividend. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 11th. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.37%.

United Rentals announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback 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 shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In related news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction 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 directly owned 7,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,900,322.12. The trade was a 25.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at approximately $5,434,996.08. The trade was a 17.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on URI. KeyCorp set a $950.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of United Rentals from $1,150.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their target price 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. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Rentals in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. 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 research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Rentals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.