Insider Selling: United Rentals (NYSE:URI) EVP Sells $1,969,938.60 in Stock

United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) EVP Michael Durand sold 2,490 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 7,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,900,322.12. This represents a 25.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink.

United Rentals Trading Up 6.9%

URI stock opened at $847.59 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.94. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $849.25 and its 200 day simple moving average is $887.87. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $525.91 and a 52 week high of $1,021.47. The company has a market capitalization of $53.40 billion, a PE ratio of 21.91, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.70.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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). The business had revenue of $4.21 billion during 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%.United Rentals’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $11.59 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 11th will be paid a $1.97 dividend. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.9%. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 11th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.51%.

United Rentals announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to reacquire up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of United Rentals

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in URI. Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new stake in United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the second quarter worth about $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC raised its holdings in United Rentals by 650.0% in the 3rd 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 last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in United Rentals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new stake in United Rentals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the company. KeyCorp set a $950.00 target price on United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $965.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a research 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 target price on the stock in a report on Sunday, January 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price target on shares of United Rentals from $1,123.00 to $1,041.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Rentals currently has an average 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.