V Square Quantitative Management LLC Takes $1.47 Million Position in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

V Square Quantitative Management LLC bought a new stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The fund bought 1,821 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,474,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 650.0% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 30 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the third quarter valued at $29,000. Aventura Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at $27,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals in the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp purchased a new position in United Rentals in the 3rd quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Trading Up 4.0%

URI stock opened at $761.88 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.88. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $533.45 and a 12 month high of $1,021.47. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $801.13 and its 200 day moving average is $853.48. The company has a market capitalization of $47.91 billion, a PE ratio of 19.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.18 and a beta of 1.68.

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 the consensus estimate of $11.86 by ($0.77). United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.35% and a net margin of 15.49%.The business had revenue of $4.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.24 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $11.59 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback 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 repurchase up to 8.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th were issued a dividend of $1.97 per share. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 11th. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.37%.

Insider Activity

In other United Rentals news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $791.14, for a total transaction of $1,969,938.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 7,458 shares in the company, 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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $790.89, for a total transaction of $1,184,753.22. Following the transaction, 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. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on URI. UBS Group raised shares of United Rentals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $1,025.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Sunday, January 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of United Rentals from $1,150.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price target on shares of United Rentals from $1,123.00 to $1,041.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. KeyCorp set a $950.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $970.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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.