Orange Investment Advisors Inc. Sells 2,944 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Key Points

• Orange Investment Advisors cut its United Rentals stake by 26.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 2,944 shares and ending with 8,187 shares valued at about $6.63 million.
• United Rentals reported mixed quarterly results, with EPS of $9.71 missing estimates and revenue of $3.99 billion also below expectations, though sales still rose 7.2% year over year.
• The company continues to return capital to shareholders through a quarterly dividend of $1.97 per share and a $5 billion share buyback authorization, while analysts largely remain bullish with a consensus Moderate Buy rating and target price near $996.94.

Orange Investment Advisors Inc. decreased its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 26.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 8,187 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 2,944 shares during the period. Orange Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in United Rentals were worth $6,626,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the business. Gleason Group Inc. lifted its stake in United Rentals by 4.3% in the 4th quarter. Gleason Group Inc. now owns 269 shares of the construction company's stock worth $218,000 after purchasing an additional 11 shares in the last quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. increased its stake in United Rentals by 1.2% in the 4th quarter. Bridgewater Advisors Inc. now owns 967 shares of the construction company's stock worth $783,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 2.9% during the 2nd quarter. Great Valley Advisor Group Inc. now owns 387 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $292,000 after acquiring an additional 11 shares during the last quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 3.1% in the third quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 395 shares of the construction company's stock worth $377,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Fearless Solutions LLC dba Best Invest increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Fearless Solutions LLC dba Best Invest now owns 554 shares of the construction company's stock worth $448,000 after purchasing an additional 12 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.5%

URI opened at $931.17 on Friday. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $681.98 and a 12 month high of $1,021.47. 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 business's 50-day moving average price is $827.82 and its 200-day moving average price is $840.57. The company has a market cap of $58.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.83.

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

United Rentals Announces Dividend

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

United Rentals declared that its board has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to repurchase up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company's board believes its shares are undervalued.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

URI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $1,030.00 price target on shares of United Rentals 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 stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on United Rentals from $995.00 to $1,071.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 23rd. Weiss Ratings upgraded United Rentals from a "hold (c)" rating to a "hold (c+)" rating in a research report on Monday. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on United Rentals from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, United Rentals currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $996.94.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Joli L. Gross sold 306 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $954.99, for a total transaction of $292,226.94. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 5,738 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,479,732.62. This represents a 5.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 548 shares of the business'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 owned 1,865 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,823,708.90. This represents a 22.71% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 26,088 shares of company stock worth $25,628,877. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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