United Rentals, Inc. $URI Stake Raised by AustralianSuper Pty Ltd

AustralianSuper Pty Ltd increased its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 64.3% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 23,911 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 9,354 shares during the period. AustralianSuper Pty Ltd’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $19,352,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of URI. Capital International Investors lifted its stake in United Rentals by 22.8% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,402,524 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,247,762,000 after acquiring an additional 631,484 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 66.5% during the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 484,450 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $462,485,000 after purchasing an additional 193,416 shares during the period. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 3,459.3% during the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 196,688 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $159,184,000 after purchasing an additional 191,162 shares during the period. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 168,685 shares during the period. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 3,094.3% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 155,273 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $148,233,000 after purchasing an additional 150,412 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other news, EVP Craig Adam Pintoff sold 2,466 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $963.00, for a total transaction of $2,374,758.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 14,774 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,227,362. This represents a 14.30% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, SVP Joli L. Gross sold 306 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $954.99, for a total value of $292,226.94. Following the sale, the senior vice president owned 5,738 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,479,732.62. This trade represents a 5.06% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 26,088 shares of company stock worth $25,628,877 in the last 90 days. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of URI opened at $961.22 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $60.22 billion, a PE ratio of 24.52, a PEG ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.83. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $818.01 and its 200 day moving average price is $839.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.80. United Rentals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $681.98 and a twelve month high of $1,021.47.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.47 by ($1.76). The business had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 30.56%. United Rentals’s revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $8.86 EPS. As a group, research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 47.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals announced that its board has initiated a stock 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 buy up to 8.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 13th will be paid a $1.97 dividend. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 13th. United Rentals’s payout ratio is presently 20.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on URI. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $903.00 price target on shares of United Rentals and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $995.00 to $1,071.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 23rd. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,101.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a report on Monday. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings cut shares of United Rentals from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $996.94.

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.