United Rentals, Inc. $URI Stock Position Raised by ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.

Key Points

• ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. boosted its United Rentals stake by 63.4% in the fourth quarter, ending with 17,461 shares valued at about $14.1 million.
• United Rentals reported Q1 results below expectations, with EPS of $9.71 versus the $11.47 estimate and revenue of $3.99 billion versus $4.20 billion expected, though revenue still rose 7.2% year over year.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.97 per share and has a $5 billion share repurchase authorization, while analysts currently rate the stock a consensus Moderate Buy with a target price of $986.35.

ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V. increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 63.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 17,461 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 6,776 shares during the quarter. ASR Vermogensbeheer N.V.'s holdings in United Rentals were worth $14,132,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Aventura Private Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in United Rentals during the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. Board of the Pension Protection Fund acquired a new position in United Rentals during the fourth quarter valued at $32,000. Finally, Laurel Wealth Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $32,000. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

URI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Barclays increased their price objective on United Rentals from $600.00 to $715.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $903.00 target price on United Rentals and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, April 9th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on United Rentals from $995.00 to $1,071.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on United Rentals from $950.00 to $1,130.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $986.35.

United Rentals Trading Down 0.9%

NYSE:URI opened at $935.68 on Friday. 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 1-year low of $666.95 and a 1-year high of $1,021.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $58.62 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.87, a PEG ratio of 1.50 and a beta of 1.83. The business'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 announced 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). The company had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 30.56%. The business's revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $8.86 earnings per share. On average, equities analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 46.99 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $1.97 per share. 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 (DPR) is currently 20.10%.

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

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other news, EVP Craig Adam Pintoff sold 2,466 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 14,774 shares in the company, valued at $14,227,362. This represents a 14.30% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 22,768 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $984.98, for a total value of $22,426,024.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 99,980 shares in the company, valued at $98,478,300.40. This represents a 18.55% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. In the last three months, insiders sold 26,088 shares of company stock worth $25,628,877. Corporate insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

United Rentals Company 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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