United Rentals, Inc. $URI Position Boosted by Franklin Resources Inc.

Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 2.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,343,981 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 28,895 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $1,087,711,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Aventura Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. KERR FINANCIAL PLANNING Corp bought a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at about $32,000. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of URI opened at $1,067.62 on Monday. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $682.08 and a one year high of $1,091.23. The company has a 50-day moving average of $885.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $852.71. The stock has a market cap of $66.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.24, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.74.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.47 by ($1.76). United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.56% and a net margin of 15.32%.The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $8.86 earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 47.07 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Royal Bank Of Canada raised their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $1,041.00 to $1,119.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore restated an “outperform” rating and set a $1,101.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Barclays raised their target price on shares of United Rentals from $600.00 to $715.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of United Rentals from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Monday, May 18th. Twelve investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $1,013.63.

Insider Activity

In related news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 548 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 1,865 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,823,708.90. This trade represents a 22.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 22,768 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $984.98, for a total transaction of $22,426,024.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 99,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $98,478,300.40. This represents a 18.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders have sold 26,088 shares of company stock valued at $25,628,877. Corporate insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

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.