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

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. reduced its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 46.1% during the third quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund 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 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the company. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. increased its position in United Rentals by 73.3% during the 3rd quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 5,740 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,533,000 after purchasing an additional 2,428 shares during the period. National Pension Service increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 4.5% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 103,146 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $98,469,000 after buying an additional 4,415 shares during the period. North Growth Management Ltd. raised its stake in United Rentals by 22.2% in the third quarter. North Growth Management Ltd. now owns 11,000 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,189,000 after buying an additional 2,000 shares in the last quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 37.2% in the third quarter. HB Wealth Management LLC now owns 6,608 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $6,308,000 after buying an additional 1,790 shares during the period. Finally, Independent Advisor Alliance boosted its position in United Rentals by 11.6% during the 3rd quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 9,108 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $8,695,000 after acquiring an additional 947 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Trading Down 6.0%

NYSE:URI opened at $734.04 on Friday. The stock has a market cap of $46.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.98, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a quick ratio of 0.88, a current ratio of 0.94 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $869.91 and its 200-day moving average price is $882.82. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $525.91 and a 52 week high of $1,021.47.

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

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

United Rentals Increases Dividend

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

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related 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 sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,434,996.08. This trade represents a 17.90% 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, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 7,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,900,322.12. The trade was a 25.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Citigroup cut their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $1,090.00 to $950.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group raised United Rentals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $1,025.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Sunday, January 4th. Robert W. Baird set a $970.00 price target on United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $965.00 price objective on United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently 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.