Focus Partners Wealth Grows Stock Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Key Points

• Focus Partners Wealth increased its stake in United Rentals by 13.7% in the fourth quarter, bringing its holdings to 48,168 shares worth about $38.99 million.
• United Rentals reported quarterly EPS of $9.71, below analyst expectations of $11.47, while revenue of $3.99 billion also missed estimates. Revenue still rose 7.2% year over year.
• Analyst sentiment remains mostly positive, with 13 Buy ratings and a consensus price target of $1,045.81, even as some firms issued more cautious ratings.

Focus Partners Wealth boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 13.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 48,168 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 5,821 shares during the quarter. Focus Partners Wealth owned about 0.08% of United Rentals worth $38,985,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of URI. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in United Rentals during the fourth quarter valued at $978,017,000. Capital International Investors raised its stake in United Rentals by 22.8% during the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,402,524 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,247,762,000 after purchasing an additional 631,484 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc raised its stake in United Rentals by 66.5% during the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 484,450 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $462,485,000 after purchasing an additional 193,416 shares in the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. raised its stake in United Rentals by 3,459.3% during the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 196,688 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $159,184,000 after purchasing an additional 191,162 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital World Investors raised its stake in United Rentals by 6.7% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,678,614 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,557,158,000 after purchasing an additional 168,685 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company's stock.

United Rentals Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of URI opened at $1,082.43 on Tuesday. United Rentals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $682.08 and a twelve month high of $1,106.88. The company has a market cap of $67.81 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.61, a P/E/G ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.81. 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's fifty day simple moving average is $927.44 and its 200-day simple moving average is $864.50.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.47 by ($1.76). The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.20 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 30.56%. The company's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.86 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 47.26 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

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

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently issued reports on URI. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of United Rentals from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Barclays increased their target price on shares of United Rentals from $600.00 to $715.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $1,030.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $903.00 target price on shares of United Rentals and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of United Rentals from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,045.81.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 548 shares of the company'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 directly owned 1,865 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,823,708.90. This represents a 22.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig Adam Pintoff sold 2,466 shares of the company's 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 14,774 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,227,362. The trade was a 14.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last three months, insiders have sold 26,088 shares of company stock valued at $25,628,877. Company insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

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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