Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE Buys Shares of 15,255 United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 15,255 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,560,000. United Rentals comprises about 1.8% of Smithbridge Asset Management Inc. DE’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Union Bancaire Privee UBP SA acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $16,253,000. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 14.2% in the 4th quarter. Kestra Private Wealth Services LLC now owns 1,607 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,132,000 after purchasing an additional 200 shares during the period. Savant Capital LLC lifted its position in United Rentals by 6.1% in the 4th quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 1,401 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $987,000 after buying an additional 81 shares in the last quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 8.8% during the fourth quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 497 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $350,000 after acquiring an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Certuity LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at about $229,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total value of $499,748.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,355,957.06. This represents a 26.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $626.28, for a total value of $688,908.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,478,697.44. The trade was a 11.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of United Rentals stock opened at $716.33 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $660.07 and a 200 day simple moving average of $693.77. The firm has a market cap of $46.56 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $525.91 and a fifty-two week high of $896.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.92 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.15 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th were given a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.00%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is 18.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

URI has been the subject of several analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised shares of United Rentals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $702.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. UBS Group raised United Rentals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price objective for the company from $485.00 to $780.00 in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on United Rentals from $535.00 to $571.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Bank of America dropped their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $753.15.

United Rentals Company Profile

United Rentals, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an equipment rental company. It operates in two segments, General Rentals and Specialty. The General Rentals segment rents general construction and industrial equipment includes backhoes, skid-steer loaders, forklifts, earthmoving equipment, and material handling equipment; aerial work platforms, such as boom and scissor lifts; and general tools and light equipment comprising pressure washers, water pumps, and power tools for construction and industrial companies, manufacturers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners, and government entities.