Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC Has $1.69 Million Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 55.0% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,765 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 2,156 shares during the period. Richard Bernstein Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $1,685,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in United Rentals during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $28,000. 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 buying an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new stake in United Rentals during the third quarter worth $40,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

URI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Citigroup decreased their target price on United Rentals from $1,090.00 to $950.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Robert W. Baird set a $970.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on United Rentals from $1,150.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada dropped their price objective on 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $925.59.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of URI opened at $820.50 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $51.69 billion, a PE ratio of 21.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $872.83 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $885.68. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $525.91 and a 1-year high of $1,021.47.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $4.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.24 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 30.35%. The company’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 analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

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

United Rentals announced that its board has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to purchase up to 8.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Rentals news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $791.14, for a total value of $1,969,938.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,900,322.12. This represents a 25.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,434,996.08. The trade was a 17.90% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.