Lbp Am Sa Invests $3.26 Million in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Key Points

• Lbp Am Sa opened a new position in United Rentals (NYSE:URI) in Q4, buying 4,029 shares valued at approximately $3.26 million.
• United Rentals missed Q4 EPS ($11.09 vs. $11.86 expected) and slightly missed revenue, while its Board approved a $5.0 billion share buyback (about 8.7% of outstanding shares) and raised the quarterly dividend to $1.97.
• Wall Street sentiment averages to a "Moderate Buy" with a mean price target of $914.88, reflecting mixed analyst revisions and ratings.

Lbp Am Sa purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 4,029 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $3,261,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of URI. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its position in shares of United Rentals by 650.0% during the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 30 shares of the construction company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 26 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company's stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of URI opened at $796.26 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.94. United Rentals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $557.05 and a twelve month high of $1,021.47. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $794.97 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $845.97. The firm has a market cap of $50.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.59, a PEG ratio of 1.26 and a beta of 1.68.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The construction company reported $11.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $11.86 by ($0.77). The company had revenue of $4.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.24 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 30.35%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $11.59 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th were given a $1.97 dividend. This is a boost from United Rentals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 11th. United Rentals's payout ratio is presently 20.37%.

United Rentals announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to reacquire up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms recently weighed in on URI. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $1,090.00 to $950.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $1,123.00 to $1,041.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group raised shares of United Rentals from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $1,025.00 price objective on the stock in a research note on Sunday, January 4th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $970.00 to $850.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $914.88.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $790.89, for a total value of $1,184,753.22. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 6,872 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,434,996.08. The trade was a 17.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $791.14, for a total transaction of $1,969,938.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 7,458 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,900,322.12. This represents a 25.03% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

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.