IFP Advisors Inc Acquires 1,903 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Key Points

• IFP Advisors Inc boosted its stake in United Rentals by 262.5% in the fourth quarter, buying 1,903 additional shares and bringing its total position to 2,628 shares valued at about $2.13 million.
• Analyst sentiment remains broadly positive, with 13 Buy ratings, 3 Hold ratings, and 1 Sell rating; the consensus price target is $996.94, and several firms recently raised their targets.
• United Rentals recently reported Q1 earnings of $9.71 per share, missing estimates, while revenue came in at $3.99 billion versus expectations of $4.20 billion. The company also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.97 per share and has a $5 billion share repurchase authorization in place.

IFP Advisors Inc lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 262.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 2,628 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,903 shares during the quarter. IFP Advisors Inc's holdings in United Rentals were worth $2,127,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $995.00 to $1,071.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. KeyCorp lifted their price objective 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 lifted their price objective 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. Royal Bank Of Canada lifted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $1,041.00 to $1,119.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Evercore reissued an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,101.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Monday, May 11th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Rentals currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $996.94.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, EVP Craig Adam Pintoff sold 2,466 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $963.00, for a total transaction of $2,374,758.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 14,774 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,227,362. The trade was a 14.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 22,768 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 99,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $98,478,300.40. The trade was a 18.55% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last ninety days, insiders sold 26,088 shares of company stock worth $25,628,877. Corporate insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:URI opened at $939.20 on Friday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $830.99 and its 200 day simple moving average is $841.26. The stock has a market capitalization of $58.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.96, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.48 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.74. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $681.98 and a 1 year high of $1,021.47.

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

United Rentals Announces Dividend

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

United Rentals announced that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to buy up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company's board believes its stock is 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.

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