Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NYSE:SUNB)

Key Points

• Options activity surged: Traders purchased 2,242 SUNB call options, roughly 472% above the typical volume of 392 contracts.
• Analyst sentiment is mixed: Eight analysts rate the stock a Buy, four rate it Hold and two rate it Sell; the consensus rating is Hold with an average price target of $84.
• Shares declined 1.6% to $72.46 despite the company slightly exceeding quarterly EPS expectations. Sunbelt Rentals also pays a $0.75 quarterly dividend, equivalent to a 4.1% yield, though its payout ratio is above 400%.

Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock (NYSE:SUNB - Get Free Report) saw unusually large options trading on Friday. Traders acquired 2,242 call options on the company. This is an increase of approximately 472% compared to the typical volume of 392 call options.

Insider Activity at Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock

In related news, COO John Washburn sold 3,351 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, July 8th. The shares were sold at an average price of $70.00, for a total transaction of $234,570.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer directly owned 72,394 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,067,580. This trade represents a 4.42% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.16% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of SUNB. LM Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock during the second quarter worth $1,391,000. Councilmark Asset Management LLC grew its stake in Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock by 1.5% in the 2nd quarter. Councilmark Asset Management LLC now owns 10,020 shares of the company's stock valued at $750,000 after purchasing an additional 150 shares during the period. Legacy Financial Advisors Inc. bought a new position in Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock in the 2nd quarter valued at $411,000. Live Oak Private Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock during the 2nd quarter valued at $4,088,000. Finally, Nykredit A S purchased a new stake in shares of Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock during the 2nd quarter valued at $16,543,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

SUNB has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. KeyCorp reissued an "overweight" rating and issued a $85.00 price objective on shares of Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock to $90.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, June 24th. Wells Fargo & Company assumed coverage on Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock in a research report on Monday, August 17th. They set an "overweight" rating and a $96.00 target price for the company. Weiss Ratings raised Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock from a "buy (b-)" rating to a "buy (b)" rating in a report on Tuesday, July 7th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock in a research note on Tuesday, June 30th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, four have issued a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock presently has an average rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $84.00.

Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock Stock Down 1.6%

Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock stock traded down $1.20 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $72.46. 9,023,438 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 3,610,325. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.90 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $29.70 billion and a PE ratio of 97.92. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $75.93. Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock has a 12 month low of $61.03 and a 12 month high of $86.68.

Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock (NYSE:SUNB - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, June 23rd. The company reported $0.74 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.73 by $0.01. The business had revenue of $2.75 billion for the quarter. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.76 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock will post 4.18 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, July 24th. Stockholders of record on Friday, July 10th were paid a $0.75 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, July 10th. This represents a $3.00 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 4.1%. Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock's dividend payout ratio is 405.41%.

About Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc. Common Stock

Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc is a major equipment rental company that provides a broad range of rental solutions to construction, industrial, municipal and specialty markets. The company's business centers on short- and long-term rental of equipment used for earthmoving, aerial access, material handling, power generation, climate control, pumps and general tools, supporting customers who need flexible access to capital-intensive assets without the expense of ownership.

In addition to physical equipment, Sunbelt Rentals offers complementary services designed to keep projects running efficiently.

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