Czech National Bank Raises Stock Position in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Czech National Bank boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 3.9% in the second quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 17,832 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 675 shares during the period. Czech National Bank’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $20,202,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in United Rentals by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,708,877 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,192,357,000 after buying an additional 30,263 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,343,981 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,087,711,000 after acquiring an additional 28,895 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $978,017,000. Bank of America Corp DE increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 14.7% during the first quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 806,380 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $587,496,000 after purchasing an additional 103,371 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners raised its stake in United Rentals by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. Boston Partners now owns 774,347 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $631,459,000 after purchasing an additional 29,675 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have issued reports on URI. Zacks Research raised shares of United Rentals from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on shares of United Rentals from $1,245.00 to $1,355.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, July 24th. Robert W. Baird set a $1,300.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Bank of America boosted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $1,195.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Finally, Argus reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $1,250.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have issued a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Rentals currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,246.19.

United Rentals Trading Down 0.0%

Shares of URI opened at $1,162.37 on Friday. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $701.59 and a 12-month high of $1,179.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $72.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.80. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $1,085.32 and a 200 day moving average price of $933.12. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The construction company reported $12.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.53 by $1.23. United Rentals had a net margin of 15.67% and a return on equity of 31.72%. The company had revenue of $4.41 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.22 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $10.47 earnings per share. United Rentals’s quarterly revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 48.55 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be given a dividend of $1.97 per share. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 12th. United Rentals’s payout ratio is presently 18.92%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,133.15, for a total value of $1,699,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,062 shares in the company, valued at approximately $6,869,155.30. This represents a 19.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

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.