United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) CEO Matthew John Flannery Sells 8,379 Shares

United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 8,379 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $699.63, for a total transaction of $5,862,199.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 103,400 shares in the company, valued at $72,341,742. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of URI stock traded down $44.87 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $667.82. 1,081,589 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 594,191. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $325.15 and a 12 month high of $732.37. The company has a market cap of $44.47 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.09, a PEG ratio of 2.10 and a beta of 1.84. The company's 50 day moving average price is $682.42 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $582.31. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.89.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $9.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $8.35 by $0.80. United Rentals had a net margin of 17.31% and a return on equity of 36.44%. The company had revenue of $3.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $7.95 EPS. United Rentals's revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.54 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 8th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 7th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio is currently 17.66%.

United Rentals declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, January 24th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to buy up to 3.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of United Rentals from $720.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price target on shares of United Rentals from $718.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of United Rentals from $575.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of United Rentals from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Oppenheimer restated a "market perform" rating on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Monday. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $600.79.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On United Rentals

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in URI. OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $25,000. First Financial Corp IN purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 71.4% in the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 48 shares of the construction company's stock worth $28,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the first quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company's stock.

About United Rentals

United Rentals, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an equipment rental company. It operates in two segments, General Rentals and Specialty. The General Rentals segment rents general construction and industrial equipment includes backhoes, skid-steer loaders, forklifts, earthmoving equipment, and material handling equipment; aerial work platforms, such as boom and scissor lifts; and general tools and light equipment comprising pressure washers, water pumps, and power tools for construction and industrial companies, manufacturers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners, and government entities.

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