Finivi Inc. Lowers Position in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Finivi Inc. decreased its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 71.6% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 658 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,661 shares during the period. Finivi Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $628,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 2nd quarter worth $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its holdings in 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 last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in United Rentals during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in United Rentals during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp acquired a new stake in United Rentals during the third quarter worth about $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of URI stock opened at $725.37 on Thursday. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $525.91 and a 12 month high of $1,021.47. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.20 and a beta of 1.66. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $858.72 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $876.41.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The construction company reported $11.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.86 by ($0.77). United Rentals had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 30.35%. The business had revenue of $4.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.24 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business 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 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to reacquire up to 8.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are generally an indication 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 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th were issued a dividend of $1.97 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 11th. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.37%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction 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 in the company, valued at approximately $5,434,996.08. The trade was a 17.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the sale, 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 ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on URI. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Rentals in a report on Wednesday, January 21st. KeyCorp set a $950.00 target price 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 report on Friday, January 30th. 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 report on Sunday, January 4th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $1,090.00 to $950.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $925.59.

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.