Brave Asset Management Inc. Invests $231,000 in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Brave Asset Management Inc. purchased a new position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm purchased 403 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $231,000.

Other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 6.4% in the third quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 21,568 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $9,588,000 after acquiring an additional 1,304 shares during the period. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 0.6% in the third quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. now owns 9,487 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,218,000 after buying an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth $22,529,000. Key Square Capital Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the second quarter worth $5,473,000. Finally, Teza Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 40.5% in the third quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 5,012 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,228,000 after buying an additional 1,445 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other United Rentals news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $655.62, for a total value of $508,105.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,145,485.26. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of URI stock traded up $0.96 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $721.11. 433,478 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 594,661. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $325.15 and a 12 month high of $732.37. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $663.16 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $544.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.45 billion, a PE ratio of 20.40, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.63 and a beta of 1.84.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The construction company reported $11.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.85 by $0.41. United Rentals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 36.80%. The firm had revenue of $3.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.63 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.74 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 42.9 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, January 24th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to buy up to 3.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 14th were given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.48. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 13th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.90%. United Rentals’s payout ratio is presently 18.44%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on URI shares. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on United Rentals from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $322.00 to $559.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $510.00 to $718.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, February 29th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on shares of United Rentals in a report on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $494.00 to $591.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 19th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $572.20.

About United Rentals

United Rentals, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an equipment rental company. It operates in two segments, General Rentals and Specialty. The General Rentals segment rents general construction and industrial equipment includes backhoes, skid-steer loaders, forklifts, earthmoving equipment, and material handling equipment; aerial work platforms, such as boom and scissor lifts; and general tools and light equipment comprising pressure washers, water pumps, and power tools for construction and industrial companies, manufacturers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners, and government entities.