Jefferies Financial Group Inc. Sells 770 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. cut its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 46.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 902 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 770 shares during the quarter. Jefferies Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $861,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 1.0% during the 2nd quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,494,303 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,646,208,000 after acquiring an additional 72,267 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in United Rentals by 71.3% in the second quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,874,127 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,411,968,000 after purchasing an additional 780,322 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in United Rentals by 6.1% in the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,231,108 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $927,517,000 after purchasing an additional 70,870 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in United Rentals by 3.7% in the second quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,030,232 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $776,177,000 after purchasing an additional 36,991 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new stake in United Rentals in the second quarter valued at $776,102,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

URI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $965.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on United Rentals from $1,123.00 to $1,041.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on United Rentals from $995.00 to $1,071.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $970.00 price objective on United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Two 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 issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $925.59.

United Rentals Price Performance

URI opened at $734.04 on Friday. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $525.91 and a 1 year 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’s fifty day moving average price is $869.91 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $882.82. The company has a market capitalization of $46.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.66.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The construction company reported $11.09 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.86 by ($0.77). The firm had revenue of $4.21 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.24 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 30.35%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $11.59 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 11th were given a dividend of $1.97 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 11th. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.1%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 20.37%.

United Rentals declared that its board has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to buy up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of the stock in a transaction on 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 completion of the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,872 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,434,996.08. This represents a 17.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $791.14, for a total transaction of $1,969,938.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president 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 SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals 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.