Natixis Advisors LLC Acquires 8,333 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Natixis Advisors LLC increased its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 5.4% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 163,334 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 8,333 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.26% of United Rentals worth $155,929,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the second quarter valued at about $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 650.0% during the third quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 30 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 26 shares during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in United Rentals in the third quarter worth about $32,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $40,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of URI stock opened at $811.30 on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $872.79 and a 200-day moving average of $886.28. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a current ratio of 0.94 and a quick ratio of 0.88. The stock has a market cap of $51.11 billion, a PE ratio of 20.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.31 and a beta of 1.66. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $525.91 and a one year high of $1,021.47.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The construction company reported $11.09 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.86 by ($0.77). United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.35% and a net margin of 15.49%.The firm had revenue of $4.21 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.24 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $11.59 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th were issued a $1.97 dividend. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.0%. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 11th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.37%.

United Rentals announced that its board has initiated a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to reacquire up to 8.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on URI. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Robert W. Baird set a $970.00 price target on United Rentals in a report on Friday, January 30th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $1,150.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group upgraded United Rentals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $1,025.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Sunday, January 4th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $965.00 price target on United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Rentals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $925.59.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In related news, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $790.89, for a total value of $1,184,753.22. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 6,872 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,434,996.08. The trade was a 17.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $791.14, for a total value of $1,969,938.60. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 7,458 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,900,322.12. This trade represents a 25.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Profile

United Rentals, Inc (NYSE: URI) is a leading equipment rental company headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The firm provides rental solutions and related services to construction, industrial, commercial, and municipal customers. Its business model centers on providing access to a broad fleet of equipment on a short-term or long-term basis, enabling customers to avoid the capital expenditure of ownership and to scale equipment use to match project needs.

The company’s product and service offerings span general construction equipment and a range of specialty categories, including aerial work platforms, earthmoving and excavation machines, material handling equipment, pumps, power and HVAC systems, trench and shoring solutions, and tools.