ABN Amro Investment Solutions Increases Stock Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Key Points

• ABN Amro Investment Solutions boosted its stake in United Rentals (URI) by 45.3% in the fourth quarter, and several other hedge funds also increased holdings; institutional investors now own 96.26% of the stock.
• United Rentals reported missed quarterly earnings and revenue estimates, with EPS of $9.71 versus $11.47 expected and revenue of $3.99 billion versus $4.20 billion expected, though revenue still grew 7.2% year over year.
• Despite the earnings miss, analysts remain broadly positive, with 13 Buy ratings and an average price target of $996.94; the company also has a $5 billion share repurchase program and declared a quarterly dividend of $1.97 per share.

ABN Amro Investment Solutions increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 45.3% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,956 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 2,170 shares during the period. ABN Amro Investment Solutions' holdings in United Rentals were worth $5,630,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in URI. Woodline Partners LP raised its stake in United Rentals by 40.0% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 5,518 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,458,000 after purchasing an additional 1,577 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. raised its stake in United Rentals by 24.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 27,136 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $20,444,000 after purchasing an additional 5,375 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its stake in United Rentals by 43.6% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 56,057 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $42,233,000 after purchasing an additional 17,030 shares during the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 11.3% in the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,205 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,661,000 after acquiring an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 338.7% in the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,654 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,246,000 after acquiring an additional 1,277 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In related news, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 22,768 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at $98,478,300.40. This trade represents a 18.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 548 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $977.86, for a total value of $535,867.28. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 1,865 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,823,708.90. This trade represents a 22.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 26,088 shares of company stock valued at $25,628,877. Insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have issued reports on URI. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $903.00 target price on United Rentals and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $1,030.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,101.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Citigroup raised their target price on United Rentals from $950.00 to $1,130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, KeyCorp raised their target price on United Rentals from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $996.94.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE:URI opened at $931.17 on Friday. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $827.82 and a 200 day moving average price 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. The company has a market capitalization of $58.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.75, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.83. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $681.98 and a 12-month high of $1,021.47.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $11.47 by ($1.76). The business had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.56% and a net margin of 15.32%.The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted $8.86 earnings per share. Sell-side analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 47.07 EPS for the current year.

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

United Rentals Announces Dividend

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

United Rentals 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.

Want to see what other hedge funds are holding URI? Visit HoldingsChannel.com to get the latest 13F filings and insider trades for United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report).

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.