Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. Purchases 15,657 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Key Points

• Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in United Rentals, Inc. by 3.5% in the first quarter, acquiring an additional 15,657 shares, bringing its total holdings to approximately 460,871 shares valued at $288.8 million.
• United Rentals reported earnings of $10.47 per share for the last quarter, slightly missing analysts' expectations, but saw a revenue increase of 4.5% year-over-year, reaching $3.94 billion.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.79, translating to an annualized dividend of $7.16, with a yield of 0.8% and a payout ratio of 18.52%.

Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 3.5% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 460,871 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 15,657 shares during the quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. owned 0.71% of United Rentals worth $288,828,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Shelton Capital Management raised its position in United Rentals by 34.7% in the fourth quarter. Shelton Capital Management now owns 516 shares of the construction company's stock worth $363,000 after acquiring an additional 133 shares during the period. FIL Ltd grew its position in shares of United Rentals by 58.9% during the 4th quarter. FIL Ltd now owns 8,929 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $6,290,000 after purchasing an additional 3,309 shares in the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina grew its position in United Rentals by 2.2% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 37,837 shares of the construction company's stock worth $26,654,000 after buying an additional 823 shares in the last quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 3.8% during the fourth quarter. Jaffetilchin Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,090 shares of the construction company's stock worth $768,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Heritage Trust Co purchased a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,218,000. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company's stock.

United Rentals Trading Up 0.5%

Shares of NYSE URI traded up $4.38 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $858.99. The company's stock had a trading volume of 273,017 shares, compared to its average volume of 649,962. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $525.91 and a 12 month high of $903.60. The stock has a market cap of $55.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.86. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $780.39 and a 200-day simple moving average of $702.84.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The construction company reported $10.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.54 by ($0.07). United Rentals had a return on equity of 32.01% and a net margin of 16.11%. The business had revenue of $3.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $10.70 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 13th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio is 18.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total value of $499,748.88. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,355,957.06. This trade represents a 26.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms have commented on URI. Citigroup reissued a "buy" rating and issued a $810.00 price target (up previously from $740.00) on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on United Rentals from $920.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on shares of United Rentals from $770.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. KeyCorp boosted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $865.00 to $960.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, July 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley increased their target price on shares of United Rentals from $702.00 to $955.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Monday, July 28th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $830.71.

About United Rentals

United Rentals, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an equipment rental company. It operates in two segments, General Rentals and Specialty. The General Rentals segment rents general construction and industrial equipment includes backhoes, skid-steer loaders, forklifts, earthmoving equipment, and material handling equipment; aerial work platforms, such as boom and scissor lifts; and general tools and light equipment comprising pressure washers, water pumps, and power tools for construction and industrial companies, manufacturers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners, and government entities.