Altshuler Shaham Ltd Sells 78 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Altshuler Shaham Ltd lowered its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 12.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 559 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 78 shares during the period. Altshuler Shaham Ltd’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $321,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of URI. AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its position in United Rentals by 71.4% during 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 during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new stake in United Rentals during the third quarter worth about $25,000. Larson Financial Group LLC lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 1,525.0% during the 4th quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 65 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 61 shares in the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in United Rentals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Arlington Trust Co LLC lifted its stake in United Rentals by 50.0% in the fourth quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 84 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 28 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other news, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 8,379 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now owns 103,400 shares in the company, valued at $72,341,742. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 8,379 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on 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 sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $72,341,742. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, COO Michael D. Durand sold 559 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction on 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 owns 8,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,431,557.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 9,713 shares of company stock worth $6,747,384. Corporate insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:URI traded up $11.45 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $689.29. 358,190 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 580,352. United Rentals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $325.91 and a twelve month high of $732.37. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $683.41 and a 200-day moving average price of $593.02. The stock has a market cap of $45.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.36, a PEG ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.82.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $9.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate 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 quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $7.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.61 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, January 24th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to reacquire up to 3.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 8th will be given a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.95%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 7th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.66%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on URI shares. Barclays increased their price objective on United Rentals from $325.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on United Rentals from $718.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Truist Financial boosted 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. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of United Rentals from $322.00 to $559.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their price target on shares of United Rentals from $575.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and six have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $600.79.

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.