BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S Sells 5,462 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. $URI

BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S lessened its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 21.9% during the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 19,422 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 5,462 shares during the period. BI Asset Management Fondsmaeglerselskab A S’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $18,541,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in URI. Savant Capital LLC increased its holdings in United Rentals by 4.2% during the third quarter. Savant Capital LLC now owns 1,957 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,868,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of United Rentals by 4.4% during the 3rd quarter. Envestnet Asset Management Inc. now owns 165,156 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $157,668,000 after acquiring an additional 7,030 shares during the period. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 8.8% in the 3rd quarter. Ashton Thomas Private Wealth LLC now owns 2,193 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,094,000 after purchasing an additional 178 shares in the last quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC raised its holdings in United Rentals by 2.9% in the 3rd quarter. Premier Path Wealth Partners LLC now owns 884 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $844,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. Finally, Penserra Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in United Rentals by 166.0% in the 3rd quarter. Penserra Capital Management LLC now owns 955 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $910,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 2nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $791.14, for a total transaction of $1,969,938.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 7,458 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,900,322.12. This represents a 25.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:URI opened at $847.55 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.94. The firm has a market cap of $53.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 21.91, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.70. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $849.91 and a 200 day moving average price of $887.59. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $525.91 and a fifty-two week high of $1,021.47.

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

United Rentals declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, January 28th that allows the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to repurchase up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th will be paid a $1.97 dividend. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 11th. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 20.37%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have issued reports on URI. Citigroup cut their price target on United Rentals from $1,090.00 to $950.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday. KeyCorp set a $950.00 price objective on United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Wednesday, January 21st. UBS Group raised shares of United Rentals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $1,025.00 price target on the stock in a report on Sunday, January 4th. Finally, Barclays reduced their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $620.00 to $600.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, United Rentals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $925.59.

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.