United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Shares Sold by Natixis Advisors L.P.

Natixis Advisors L.P. reduced its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 5.9% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 69,001 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 4,346 shares during the period. Natixis Advisors L.P. owned about 0.10% of United Rentals worth $39,566,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 2.0% during the third quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 4,124 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,834,000 after acquiring an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates grew its stake in United Rentals by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 113,793 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $50,589,000 after purchasing an additional 5,117 shares in the last quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC increased its holdings in United Rentals by 14.4% during the 3rd quarter. NorthRock Partners LLC now owns 548 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $244,000 after purchasing an additional 69 shares during the last quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 2.4% in the 3rd quarter. Mn Services Vermogensbeheer B.V. now owns 33,849 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $15,048,000 after purchasing an additional 800 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Kennedy Investment Group boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 3.9% during the 3rd quarter. Kennedy Investment Group now owns 2,712 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,206,000 after buying an additional 102 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, COO Michael D. Durand sold 559 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $674.56, for a total transaction of $377,079.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 8,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,431,557.12. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In other United Rentals news, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 8,379 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Michael D. Durand sold 559 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $674.56, for a total transaction of $377,079.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 8,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,431,557.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 9,713 shares of company stock worth $6,747,384 in the last quarter. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:URI traded up $2.09 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $666.66. 343,283 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 612,228. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.89. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $683.37 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $586.57. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $325.15 and a 52 week high of $732.37. The company has a market cap of $44.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.06, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.17 and a beta of 1.82.

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, topping 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 firm had revenue of $3.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $7.95 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.52 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan 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 stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 7th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is 17.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently issued reports on URI shares. Barclays upped their price target on shares of United Rentals from $325.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on United Rentals in a research note on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $500.00 price target for the company. Evercore ISI raised their price objective on United Rentals from $575.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Truist Financial boosted their target price 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. Finally, BNP Paribas restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $485.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $600.79.

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.