SFE Investment Counsel Raises Stock Position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

SFE Investment Counsel increased its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 45.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 4,451 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,384 shares during the quarter. SFE Investment Counsel’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $2,552,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in URI. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 1,900.0% in the third quarter. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp now owns 100 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $27,000 after acquiring an additional 95 shares during the period. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its holdings 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 valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on United Rentals from $718.00 to $790.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Barclays increased their price target on United Rentals from $325.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on United Rentals in a report on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $500.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on United Rentals from $322.00 to $559.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their price target on United Rentals from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $589.21.

United Rentals Price Performance

United Rentals stock traded down $2.45 during midday trading on Thursday, reaching $633.77. 335,095 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 576,781. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.81. The company has a market capitalization of $42.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.05, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.84. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $680.66 and its 200-day simple moving average is $568.62. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $325.15 and a 1 year high of $732.37.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The construction company reported $11.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.85 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $3.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.63 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 36.80% and a net margin of 16.91%. The firm’s revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.74 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.13 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 14th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.48. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.03%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 13th. United Rentals’s payout ratio is currently 18.44%.

United Rentals declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, January 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to purchase up to 3.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $655.62, for a total transaction of $508,105.50. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,145,485.26. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.