WD Rutherford LLC Trims Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

WD Rutherford LLC lowered its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 2.0% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 985 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 20 shares during the quarter. WD Rutherford LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $570,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in URI. OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 3rd quarter worth $25,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc increased its stake in United Rentals by 71.4% during the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 48 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in United Rentals during the 3rd quarter worth about $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its position in United Rentals by 1,525.0% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 65 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $37,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the third quarter worth $40,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of URI stock opened at $690.77 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $46.00 billion, a PE ratio of 18.71, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.40 and a beta of 1.84. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $681.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $578.63. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $325.15 and a 12 month high of $732.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.75.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $9.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.35 by $0.80. United Rentals had a return on equity of 36.44% and a net margin of 17.31%. The company had revenue of $3.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $7.95 EPS. United Rentals’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.13 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 8th will be given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.94%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 7th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.66%.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

URI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Barclays increased their price target on United Rentals from $325.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on United Rentals from $322.00 to $559.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. BNP Paribas reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $485.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Truist Financial began coverage on United Rentals in a report on Thursday, March 14th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $793.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of United Rentals from $720.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $600.57.

Insider Activity

In other United Rentals news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $655.62, for a total value of $508,105.50. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,323 shares in the company, valued at $4,145,485.26. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Company Profile

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.