United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Position Trimmed by Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC lessened its position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 26.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 12,029 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 4,272 shares during the quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $6,898,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Ballentine Partners LLC lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 889 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $510,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 1,441 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $827,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 0.3% in the 4th quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 5,816 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,335,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Caprock Group LLC lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 900 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $516,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 71.4% in the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 48 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently commented on URI shares. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of United Rentals from $322.00 to $559.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of United Rentals from $718.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley began coverage on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. Barclays increased their target price on shares of United Rentals from $325.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Evercore ISI increased their target price on shares of United Rentals from $575.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, United Rentals has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $589.21.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The shares were 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 approximately $4,145,485.26. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of URI stock traded down $4.35 on Friday, hitting $628.53. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 266,093 shares, compared to its average volume of 574,973. 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 stock’s 50 day moving average is $680.37 and its 200-day moving average is $569.06. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $325.15 and a fifty-two week high of $732.37. The company has a market capitalization of $42.22 billion, a PE ratio of 17.82, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.84.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its 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. United Rentals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 36.80%. The firm had revenue of $3.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.63 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.74 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 14th were issued 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 yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 13th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.44%.

United Rentals declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share buyback program on Wednesday, January 24th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to reacquire up to 3.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

United Rentals 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.