Gradient Investments LLC Sells 5,238 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Gradient Investments LLC lowered its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 19.2% during the first quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 22,072 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 5,238 shares during the period. Gradient Investments LLC's holdings in United Rentals were worth $15,916,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Hoylecohen LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Hoylecohen LLC now owns 1,163 shares of the construction company's stock worth $667,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 889 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $510,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. DGS Capital Management LLC boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 1,441 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $827,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC grew its stake in United Rentals by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 5,816 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,335,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Caprock Group LLC increased its holdings in United Rentals by 2.3% in the fourth quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 900 shares of the construction company's stock worth $516,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Rentals Stock Performance

URI stock traded up $2.09 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $666.66. The company had a trading volume of 343,283 shares, compared to its average volume of 612,228. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $325.15 and a 12 month high of $732.37. The stock's fifty day moving average price is $683.37 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $586.57. The firm has a market cap of $44.39 billion, a PE ratio of 18.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.82. 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 posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $9.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.35 by $0.80. The business had revenue of $3.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.44 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 17.31% and a return on equity of 36.44%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $7.95 EPS. On average, analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.52 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals declared that its board has authorized a share buyback program on Wednesday, January 24th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to repurchase up to 3.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are usually an indication that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

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

Insider Activity

In other United Rentals news, COO Michael D. Durand sold 559 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $674.56, for a total transaction of $377,079.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 8,052 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,431,557.12. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, COO Michael D. Durand sold 559 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $674.56, for a total value of $377,079.04. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 8,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,431,557.12. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 8,379 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $699.63, for a total transaction of $5,862,199.77. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,400 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $72,341,742. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders sold 9,713 shares of company stock valued at $6,747,384. Insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on URI. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on United Rentals from $575.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Truist Financial raised their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $793.00 to $796.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, April 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price 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. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on shares of United Rentals from $720.00 to $750.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Rentals currently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $600.79.

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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