New England Research & Management Inc. Has $7.14 Million Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

New England Research & Management Inc. boosted its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 13.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 8,816 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 1,040 shares during the quarter. United Rentals makes up 3.1% of New England Research & Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th largest holding. New England Research & Management Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $7,135,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of URI. Woodline Partners LP grew its stake 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 worth $3,458,000 after acquiring an additional 1,577 shares in the last quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 10.5% in the 2nd quarter. Ensign Peak Advisors Inc now owns 42,379 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $31,928,000 after acquiring an additional 4,010 shares in the last quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 8.0% in the second quarter. Personal CFO Solutions LLC now owns 364 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $274,000 after purchasing an additional 27 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 6.9% in the second quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 197,800 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $149,023,000 after purchasing an additional 12,700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, DNB Asset Management AS lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 1.3% during the second quarter. DNB Asset Management AS now owns 17,664 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $13,308,000 after purchasing an additional 220 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Rentals Price Performance

URI opened at $710.36 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $44.75 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.36, a PEG ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.66. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $850.16 and a 200 day moving average of $873.03. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.94. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $525.91 and a fifty-two week high of $1,021.47.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 28th. The construction company reported $11.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.86 by ($0.77). The company had revenue of $4.21 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.24 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.35% and a net margin of 15.49%.The business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $11.59 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th were paid a dividend of $1.97 per share. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.1%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 11th. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 20.37%.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

URI has been the topic of several analyst reports. UBS Group upgraded shares of United Rentals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $1,025.00 price target on the stock in a report on Sunday, January 4th. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $1,123.00 to $1,041.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird set a $970.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on United Rentals from $995.00 to $1,071.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $965.00 target price on United Rentals in a report on Friday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Rentals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $925.59.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Rentals news, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $790.89, for a total transaction of $1,184,753.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,434,996.08. This represents a 17.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. 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 2,490 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $791.14, for a total value of $1,969,938.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 7,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,900,322.12. This represents a 25.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders own 0.53% 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.