US Bancorp DE Reduces Stock Position in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

US Bancorp DE lessened its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 3.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 17,986 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 573 shares during the quarter. US Bancorp DE’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $14,557,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Woodline Partners LP lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 40.0% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 5,518 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,458,000 after buying an additional 1,577 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 24.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 27,136 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $20,444,000 after buying an additional 5,375 shares during the period. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 43.6% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 56,057 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $42,233,000 after buying an additional 17,030 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 11.3% in the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,205 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,661,000 after buying an additional 223 shares during the period. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 338.7% in the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,654 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,246,000 after buying an additional 1,277 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

URI has been the subject of several analyst reports. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on United Rentals from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. UBS Group raised United Rentals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $1,025.00 price target for the company in a report on Sunday, January 4th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on United Rentals from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Citigroup upped their price target on United Rentals from $950.00 to $1,130.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on United Rentals from $850.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $986.35.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, SVP Joli L. Gross sold 306 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $954.99, for a total value of $292,226.94. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 5,738 shares in the company, valued at $5,479,732.62. This represents a 5.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 22,768 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $984.98, for a total value of $22,426,024.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 99,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $98,478,300.40. This trade represents a 18.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 30,076 shares of company stock valued at $28,783,569. Insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Price Performance

NYSE:URI opened at $952.13 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $802.13 and a two-hundred day moving average of $841.19. The firm has a market cap of $59.65 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.29, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.51 and a beta of 1.83. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $645.18 and a 12 month high of $1,021.47.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.47 by ($1.76). The company had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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 for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $8.86 earnings per share. On average, analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 46.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th will be given a $1.97 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is 20.10%.

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

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.