Kovack Advisors Inc. Decreases Position in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Kovack Advisors Inc. trimmed its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 11.3% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,552 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,087 shares during the period. United Rentals makes up about 0.8% of Kovack Advisors Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $8,165,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 73.3% in the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 5,740 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,533,000 after buying an additional 2,428 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service lifted its position in United Rentals by 4.5% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 103,146 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $98,469,000 after acquiring an additional 4,415 shares during the last quarter. North Growth Management Ltd. boosted its stake in United Rentals by 22.2% in the third quarter. North Growth Management Ltd. now owns 11,000 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $10,189,000 after acquiring an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC grew its holdings in United Rentals by 37.2% in the third quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,608 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,308,000 after purchasing an additional 1,790 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vise Technologies Inc. purchased a new position in United Rentals in the second quarter worth $7,514,000. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

NYSE URI opened at $887.68 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.95, a PEG ratio of 1.41 and a beta of 1.70. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $864.07 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $889.15. 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 fifty-two week low of $525.91 and a fifty-two week high of $1,021.47.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The construction company reported $11.09 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.86 by ($0.77). The company had revenue of $4.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.24 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.35% and a net margin of 15.49%.The firm’s revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $11.59 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to reacquire up to 8.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th will be issued a dividend of $1.97 per share. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 11th. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. United Rentals’s payout ratio is presently 20.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $791.14, for a total value 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 approximately $5,900,322.12. The trade was a 25.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 $5,434,996.08. This trade represents a 17.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

URI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price target on United Rentals from $1,150.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. KeyCorp set a $950.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price objective 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. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $965.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, January 30th. 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 assigned a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus 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.