Joli Gross Sells 306 Shares of United Rentals (NYSE:URI) Stock

United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) SVP Joli Gross sold 306 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $954.99, for a total value of $292,226.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president owned 5,738 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,479,732.62. This trade represents a 5.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

United Rentals Stock Down 1.5%

URI traded down $14.99 during trading on Monday, reaching $959.42. The stock had a trading volume of 528,899 shares, compared to its average volume of 666,387. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $795.43 and its two-hundred day moving average is $840.56. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The company has a market capitalization of $60.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.47, a P/E/G ratio of 1.56 and a beta of 1.68. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $611.93 and a one year high of $1,021.47.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.47 by ($1.76). The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.56% and a net margin of 15.32%.United Rentals’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $8.86 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 46.68 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to repurchase up to 8.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.97 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.10%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On United Rentals

Several institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. PFG Investments LLC boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 0.9% during the first quarter. PFG Investments LLC now owns 1,172 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $854,000 after buying an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 17.0% during the first quarter. Turtle Creek Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 495 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $361,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 663.4% during the first quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd now owns 13,771 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $10,033,000 after buying an additional 11,967 shares during the last quarter. Leonteq Securities AG boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 26.5% during the first quarter. Leonteq Securities AG now owns 453 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $330,000 after buying an additional 95 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 54.6% during the first quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund now owns 15,006 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $10,933,000 after buying an additional 5,300 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages have recently weighed in on URI. KeyCorp raised their price target on United Rentals from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on United Rentals from $995.00 to $1,071.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on United Rentals from $850.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday. Barclays raised their price target on United Rentals from $600.00 to $715.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday. Finally, UBS Group upgraded 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. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Rentals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $986.35.

About United Rentals

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.