Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE Trims Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE lowered its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 51.4% during the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 6,871 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 7,264 shares during the period. Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $5,006,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in URI. Aventura Private Wealth LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. MV Capital Management Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at about $28,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth about $32,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In other news, SVP Joli L. Gross sold 306 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $954.99, for a total transaction of $292,226.94. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 5,738 shares in the company, valued at $5,479,732.62. This trade represents a 5.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 548 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $977.86, for a total value of $535,867.28. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,865 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,823,708.90. The trade was a 22.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold 26,088 shares of company stock worth $25,628,877 in the last ninety days. 0.47% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have commented on the stock. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $1,041.00 to $1,119.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. KeyCorp raised their price target on shares of United Rentals from $1,150.00 to $1,250.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, June 25th. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $1,020.00 to $1,195.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, June 25th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,275.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,101.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Fifteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,106.44.

United Rentals Trading Down 1.7%

NYSE URI opened at $1,113.81 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The stock has a market capitalization of $69.78 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.41, a PEG ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.79. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $1,006.44 and its two-hundred day moving average is $888.89. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $701.59 and a 12 month high of $1,143.69.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.47 by ($1.76). The company had revenue of $3.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $8.86 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 46.76 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 13th were issued a $1.97 dividend. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 13th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.10%.

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.