Whittier Trust Co. Raises Stock Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Whittier Trust Co. lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 2.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 61,408 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,529 shares during the quarter. Whittier Trust Co.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $54,782,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of URI. Aventura Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its position in United Rentals by 650.0% in the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 30 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the last quarter. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in United Rentals in the third quarter worth $29,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in United Rentals in the third quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Board of the Pension Protection Fund purchased a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

URI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Royal Bank Of Canada decreased their target price on United Rentals from $1,123.00 to $1,041.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup decreased their target price on United Rentals from $1,090.00 to $950.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 2nd. Robert W. Baird set a $970.00 target price on United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on United Rentals from $970.00 to $850.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, KeyCorp set a $950.00 target price on United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $914.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of United Rentals 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 sale, the executive vice president owned 6,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,434,996.08. This trade represents a 17.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $791.14, for a total value of $1,969,938.60. Following 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 position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 0.47% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

United Rentals Price Performance

United Rentals stock opened at $777.03 on Friday. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $557.05 and a one year high of $1,021.47. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $797.06 and a 200-day moving average price of $846.99. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The firm has a market capitalization of $48.86 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.09, a PEG ratio of 1.24 and a beta of 1.68.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The construction company reported $11.09 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.86 by ($0.77). United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.35% and a net margin of 15.49%.The company had revenue of $4.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.24 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $11.59 earnings per share. United Rentals’s revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast 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 issued a $1.97 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 11th. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is 20.37%.

United Rentals announced that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to buy up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

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.