Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. Buys New Position in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Key Points

• Atlas Capital Advisors opened a new position in United Rentals during the fourth quarter, buying 1,577 shares valued at about $1.28 million.
• United Rentals reported Q1 earnings below expectations, with EPS of $9.71 versus the $11.47 consensus and revenue of $3.99 billion versus the expected $4.20 billion, even though revenue still rose 7.2% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly constructive on URI, with 13 Buy ratings and a consensus Moderate Buy target of about $1,045.81; several firms recently raised their price targets.

Atlas Capital Advisors Inc. bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 1,577 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $1,276,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in URI. Aventura Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in United Rentals during the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in United Rentals during the third quarter valued at $29,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund bought a new position in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth $32,000. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Rentals Trading Up 0.2%

NYSE:URI opened at $1,076.03 on Monday. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $682.08 and a one year high of $1,106.88. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.74. The firm has a market capitalization of $67.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.81. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $920.44 and a 200-day moving average price of $862.59.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results 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). United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.56% and a net margin of 15.32%.The business had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $8.86 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. Sell-side analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 47.26 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

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

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In related news, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 22,768 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $984.98, for a total value of $22,426,024.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 99,980 shares of the company's stock, valued at $98,478,300.40. This represents 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 stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $963.00, for a total transaction of $2,374,758.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 14,774 shares in the company, valued at $14,227,362. This trade represents a 14.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 26,088 shares of company stock worth $25,628,877 in the last 90 days. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms recently issued reports on URI. UBS Group lifted their price objective on United Rentals from $1,025.00 to $1,145.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, June 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on United Rentals from $850.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target 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 objective on United Rentals from $600.00 to $715.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $903.00 price target on United Rentals and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. 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's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,045.81.

United Rentals Company 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.

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