Mitchell Capital Management Co. Decreases Stock Position in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Mitchell Capital Management Co. reduced its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 44.9% in the third quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 4,600 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 3,753 shares during the quarter. Mitchell Capital Management Co.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $4,391,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased 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 valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in United Rentals during the third quarter worth $32,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P purchased a new position in United Rentals during the second quarter worth approximately $28,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. purchased a new position in United Rentals during the third quarter valued at $40,000. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in United Rentals by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 42 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $40,000 after buying an additional 30 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Trading Down 0.4%

Shares of URI opened at $873.08 on Thursday. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $855.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $889.53. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $525.91 and a fifty-two week high of $1,021.47. The company has a market capitalization of $55.00 billion, a PE ratio of 22.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.40 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 (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The construction company reported $11.09 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.86 by ($0.77). The firm 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 company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $11.59 earnings per share. As a group, analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to purchase up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In other news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 7,458 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,900,322.12. The trade was a 25.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of the 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 in the company, valued at $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. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

URI has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price 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 research report on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $965.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Barclays cut their target price on United Rentals from $620.00 to $600.00 and set an “underweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, October 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $970.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $925.59.

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.