Royal London Asset Management Ltd. Decreases Stake in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lessened 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 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 125,375 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 2,805 shares during the period. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. owned 0.20% of United Rentals worth $101,468,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new position in United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 22,768 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 99,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $98,478,300.40. The trade was a 18.55% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Craig Adam Pintoff sold 2,466 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $963.00, for a total value of $2,374,758.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 14,774 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,227,362. This trade represents a 14.30% 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 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on URI. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on United Rentals from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Barclays lifted their price target on United Rentals from $600.00 to $715.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $1,030.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,275.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Wednesday. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,045.81.

United Rentals Stock Up 0.7%

Shares of URI opened at $1,076.03 on Friday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $920.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $862.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a current ratio of 0.80. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $682.08 and a 1 year high of $1,106.88. The stock has a market capitalization of $67.41 billion, a PE ratio of 27.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.69 and a beta of 1.81.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 30.56%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $8.86 EPS. Analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 47.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were given a dividend of $1.97 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.10%.

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.