United Rentals, Inc. $URI Stock Holdings Lifted by Franklin Resources Inc.

Key Points

• Franklin Resources increased its United Rentals stake by 2.2% in Q4, ending with 1.34 million shares worth about $1.09 billion. Institutional ownership remains very high at 96.26%.
• Wall Street is largely bullish on URI, with multiple firms raising price targets and the stock carrying a Moderate Buy consensus. The average analyst price target is $1,013.63.
• United Rentals missed Q1 earnings and revenue expectations, reporting $9.71 EPS versus $11.47 expected and $3.99 billion in revenue versus $4.20 billion expected. Despite the miss, revenue still rose 7.2% year over year.

Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 2.2% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 1,343,981 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 28,895 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. owned approximately 2.13% of United Rentals worth $1,087,711,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of URI. Woodline Partners LP lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 40.0% in the 1st quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 5,518 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,458,000 after buying an additional 1,577 shares during the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 24.7% in the 2nd quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 27,136 shares of the construction company's stock worth $20,444,000 after buying an additional 5,375 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 43.6% in the 2nd quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 56,057 shares of the construction company's stock worth $42,233,000 after buying an additional 17,030 shares during the last quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 11.3% in the 2nd quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,205 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,661,000 after buying an additional 223 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Diversify Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 338.7% in the 2nd quarter. Diversify Advisory Services LLC now owns 1,654 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,246,000 after buying an additional 1,277 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barclays raised their price target on shares of United Rentals from $600.00 to $715.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Evercore reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $1,101.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a report on Monday, May 11th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Citigroup increased their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $950.00 to $1,130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Twelve analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $1,013.63.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.0%

URI stock opened at $1,067.62 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.74, a current ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $682.08 and a fifty-two week high of $1,091.23. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $885.82 and its 200 day simple moving average is $852.71. The stock has a market cap of $66.89 billion, a PE ratio of 27.24, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.81.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $11.47 by ($1.76). The firm had revenue of $3.99 billion during 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 firm's revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business earned $8.86 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 47.07 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were paid a dividend of $1.97 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 20.10%.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, SVP Joli L. Gross sold 306 shares of the firm'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 transaction, the senior vice president owned 5,738 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,479,732.62. This trade represents a 5.06% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Craig Adam Pintoff sold 2,466 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, April 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $963.00, for a total transaction of $2,374,758.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 14,774 shares in the company, valued at approximately $14,227,362. The trade was a 14.30% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Insiders sold a total of 26,088 shares of company stock worth $25,628,877 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

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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