Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Has $157.55 Million Stock Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. reduced its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 16.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 194,666 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 37,652 shares during the quarter. United Rentals comprises 1.5% of Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P.’s holdings, making the stock its 14th largest holding. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned about 0.31% of United Rentals worth $157,547,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital International Investors boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 22.8% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,402,524 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,247,762,000 after purchasing an additional 631,484 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its stake in United Rentals by 6.7% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,678,614 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,557,158,000 after buying an additional 168,685 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 6.8% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,315,086 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,255,460,000 after buying an additional 83,978 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in United Rentals by 5.6% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,088,209 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,038,870,000 after acquiring an additional 57,977 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its position in United Rentals by 2.9% during the third quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 948,386 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $905,313,000 after acquiring an additional 26,847 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of United Rentals stock opened at $713.42 on Tuesday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $827.03 and a 200 day simple moving average of $863.06. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $525.91 and a one 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 has a market capitalization of $44.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.44, a PEG ratio of 1.19 and a beta of 1.66.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The construction company reported $11.09 earnings per share (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 the consensus estimate of $4.24 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.35% and a net margin of 15.49%.The firm’s revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $11.59 EPS. On average, research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

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

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

URI has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $965.00 price objective on United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 30th. KeyCorp set a $950.00 target price on United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group upgraded United Rentals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $1,025.00 target price for the company in a report on Sunday, January 4th. Citigroup dropped their price target on United Rentals from $1,090.00 to $950.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $925.59.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Rentals news, 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,458 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,900,322.12. This represents a 25.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were 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 directly owned 6,872 shares in the company, valued at $5,434,996.08. This trade represents a 17.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

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.