LPL Financial LLC Buys 8,071 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Key Points

• LPL Financial LLC increased its stake in United Rentals by 5.2% in the fourth quarter, buying 8,071 additional shares and bringing its total holding to 164,552 shares valued at about $133.2 million.
• United Rentals posted mixed quarterly results, with EPS of $9.71 and revenue of $3.99 billion both missing analyst estimates, though revenue still rose 7.2% year over year.
• Analysts remain broadly positive on URI, with 13 Buy ratings and a consensus “Moderate Buy” view, alongside an average price target of $1,029 versus the stock’s recent price near $1,056.72.

LPL Financial LLC lifted its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 5.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 164,552 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,071 shares during the period. LPL Financial LLC owned 0.26% of United Rentals worth $133,175,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Capital International Investors raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 22.8% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,402,524 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,247,762,000 after acquiring an additional 631,484 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,708,877 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,192,357,000 after acquiring an additional 30,263 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 2.2% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,343,981 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,087,711,000 after acquiring an additional 28,895 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $978,017,000. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its position in United Rentals by 5.6% in the 3rd quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,088,209 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,038,870,000 after buying an additional 57,977 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of URI stock opened at $1,056.72 on Thursday. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $906.76 and its 200 day simple moving average is $858.86. 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 cap of $66.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.96, a P/E/G ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.81. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $682.08 and a one year high of $1,106.88.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $11.47 by ($1.76). The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.56% and a net margin of 15.32%.The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $8.86 EPS. On average, analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 47.14 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Stockholders 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 was Wednesday, May 13th. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio is presently 20.10%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 548 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $977.86, for a total transaction of $535,867.28. Following the sale, the vice president 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 22,768 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $984.98, for a total value of $22,426,024.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 99,980 shares in the company, valued at $98,478,300.40. The trade was a 18.55% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 26,088 shares of company stock worth $25,628,877 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have commented on URI shares. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,275.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Wednesday. 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. Morgan Stanley reaffirmed an "overweight" rating and issued a $1,030.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,101.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Monday, May 11th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on United Rentals from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, United Rentals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,029.00.

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.

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.