Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC Has $2.62 Million Stake in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Key Points

• Sequoia Financial Advisors increased its stake in United Rentals by 52% in the fourth quarter, ending with 3,241 shares valued at about $2.62 million.
• United Rentals missed earnings and revenue estimates in its latest quarterly report, posting $9.71 EPS versus the $11.47 expected and $3.99 billion in revenue versus $4.20 billion forecast.
• The company’s board authorized a $5 billion stock buyback, and United Rentals also announced a quarterly dividend of $1.97 per share, payable May 27.

Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 52.0% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,241 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,109 shares during the period. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC's holdings in United Rentals were worth $2,623,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in URI. Gateway Investment Advisers LLC bought a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at about $491,000. Indivisible Partners bought a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at about $250,000. RFG Advisory LLC increased its stake in United Rentals by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. RFG Advisory LLC now owns 2,697 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,183,000 after acquiring an additional 106 shares during the period. Equitable Trust Co. increased its stake in United Rentals by 55.0% in the fourth quarter. Equitable Trust Co. now owns 6,436 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $5,209,000 after acquiring an additional 2,285 shares during the period. Finally, Swedbank AB increased its stake in United Rentals by 2.8% in the fourth quarter. Swedbank AB now owns 54,674 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $44,249,000 after acquiring an additional 1,509 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other United Rentals news, SVP Joli L. Gross sold 306 shares of the company's 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 sale, the senior vice president directly owned 5,738 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,479,732.62. This represents a 5.06% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 548 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $977.86, for a total transaction of $535,867.28. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,865 shares in the company, valued at $1,823,708.90. This trade represents a 22.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 26,088 shares of company stock valued at $25,628,877 over the last three months. 0.47% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of United Rentals stock opened at $935.68 on Monday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $58.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.83. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $666.95 and a 1-year high of $1,021.47. The firm's 50-day moving average price is $805.22 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $838.92.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.47 by ($1.76). The firm 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%.United Rentals's quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $8.86 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 46.99 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes 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 of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed 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 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 13th. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio is currently 20.10%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $903.00 target price on shares of United Rentals and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Weiss Ratings cut shares of United Rentals from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Barclays upped their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $1,030.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $986.35.

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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