Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. Cuts Position in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Key Points

• Vaughan Nelson Investment Management cut its United Rentals stake by 32.7% in Q1, selling 63,719 shares and ending with 130,947 shares worth about $95.4 million.
• Insider selling was notable, with CEO Matthew Flannery and EVP Craig Pintoff selling shares; insiders sold 26,088 shares worth roughly $25.6 million over the last 90 days.
• United Rentals reported Q1 earnings and revenue below expectations ($9.71 EPS vs. $11.47 expected; $3.98 billion revenue vs. $4.20 billion expected), though analysts still rate the stock a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of about $1,045.81.

Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. decreased its position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 32.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 130,947 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 63,719 shares during the quarter. Vaughan Nelson Investment Management L.P. owned 0.21% of United Rentals worth $95,403,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of URI. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 16.4% in the first quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc now owns 41,551 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $30,229,000 after purchasing an additional 5,862 shares in the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB raised its position in United Rentals by 26.4% during the first quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 2,833 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,064,000 after purchasing an additional 591 shares during the period. Uhlmann Price Securities LLC bought a new stake in United Rentals in the first quarter worth $232,000. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 1,808 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,318,000 after purchasing an additional 72 shares during the period. Finally, J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. bought a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth about $205,000. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 22,768 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was 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 owned 99,980 shares in the company, valued at $98,478,300.40. This represents a 18.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, EVP Craig Adam Pintoff sold 2,466 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Monday, April 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $963.00, for a total value of $2,374,758.00. Following 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 disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last ninety days, insiders sold 26,088 shares of company stock worth $25,628,877. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on URI shares. KeyCorp upped their target price on United Rentals from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on United Rentals from $850.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $1,030.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Raymond James Financial reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $1,275.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Finally, Barclays boosted 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. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $1,045.81.

United Rentals Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of United Rentals stock opened at $1,077.68 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37, a current ratio of 0.80 and a quick ratio of 0.74. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $693.78 and a 1 year high of $1,106.88. The firm's 50-day moving average is $953.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $871.73. The stock has a market cap of $67.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 27.49, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.81.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.47 by ($1.76). United Rentals had a net margin of 15.32% and a return on equity of 30.56%. The business had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $8.86 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 47.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 13th were paid a $1.97 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. United Rentals's payout ratio is 20.10%.

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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