Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 1,419 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Key Points

• Securian Asset Management reduced its United Rentals stake by 45.4% in the fourth quarter, selling 1,419 shares and ending with 1,706 shares valued at about $1.38 million.
• Insiders have also been selling: CEO Matthew John Flannery and EVP Craig Adam Pintoff both sold shares recently, bringing total insider sales over the last 90 days to 26,088 shares worth about $25.6 million.
• United Rentals reported mixed quarterly results, missing EPS and revenue estimates even though revenue rose 7.2% year over year. The company also authorized a $5 billion share buyback and pays a quarterly dividend of $1.97 per share.

Securian Asset Management Inc. trimmed its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 45.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,706 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 1,419 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.'s holdings in United Rentals were worth $1,381,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 73.3% during the third quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 5,740 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $5,533,000 after purchasing an additional 2,428 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 4.5% during the third quarter. National Pension Service now owns 103,146 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $98,469,000 after purchasing an additional 4,415 shares in the last quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 1,358.7% during the fourth quarter. Beacon Investment Advisory Services Inc. now owns 8,227 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $6,658,000 after purchasing an additional 7,663 shares in the last quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 11.6% during the third quarter. Independent Advisor Alliance now owns 9,108 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $8,695,000 after purchasing an additional 947 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 70.7% during the third quarter. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. now owns 1,707 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,486,000 after purchasing an additional 707 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other news, EVP Craig Adam Pintoff sold 2,466 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $963.00, for a total value of $2,374,758.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 14,774 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $14,227,362. This represents a 14.30% decrease in their position. 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 company's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $984.98, for a total transaction of $22,426,024.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 99,980 shares of the company's stock, valued at $98,478,300.40. This trade represents a 18.55% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 26,088 shares of company stock worth $25,628,877 over the last 90 days. Company insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:URI opened at $956.14 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $681.98 and a 12 month high of $1,021.47. The stock has a market cap of $59.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.83. The company has a 50 day moving average of $810.83 and a 200 day moving average of $837.77.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.20 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $8.86 EPS. United Rentals's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 46.99 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals announced that its board has approved a share buyback plan on Wednesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization permits the construction company to repurchase up to 8.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often a sign that the company's leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

URI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and set a $1,030.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Citigroup raised their price target on shares of United Rentals from $950.00 to $1,130.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of United Rentals from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a report on Monday, May 4th. Truist Financial set a $1,209.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised 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. Thirteen analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, United Rentals currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $996.94.

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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