HighTower Advisors LLC Has $39.87 Million Stake in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

HighTower Advisors LLC decreased its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 18.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 49,262 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 11,006 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $39,869,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in United Rentals in the third quarter worth $29,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Fortitude Family Office LLC raised its holdings in United Rentals by 121.1% in the fourth quarter. Fortitude Family Office LLC now owns 42 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 23 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on URI shares. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $1,030.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $903.00 target price on shares of United Rentals and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, April 9th. Royal Bank Of Canada increased 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 report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore reiterated an “outperform” rating and issued a $1,101.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of United Rentals from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Rentals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $996.94.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.5%

United Rentals stock opened at $931.17 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $58.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.75, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.83. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $681.98 and a 1-year high of $1,021.47. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $827.82 and a 200 day simple moving average of $840.57. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its 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 business had revenue of $3.99 billion during 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%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $8.86 EPS. Research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 47.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

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

United Rentals announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to buy up to 8.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In related news, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 22,768 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief executive officer owned 99,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $98,478,300.40. This trade represents a 18.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 548 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $977.86, for a total transaction of $535,867.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,865 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,823,708.90. This trade represents a 22.71% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 26,088 shares of company stock worth $25,628,877 in the last three months. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.