Mitchell Capital Management Co. Sells 3,753 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Mitchell Capital Management Co. lowered its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 44.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 4,600 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 3,753 shares during the quarter. Mitchell Capital Management Co.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $4,391,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P bought a new position in shares of United Rentals during the second quarter worth $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 650.0% during the 3rd quarter. Salomon & Ludwin LLC now owns 30 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new stake in United Rentals during the 3rd quarter worth about $32,000. Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. bought a new stake in United Rentals during the third quarter worth about $40,000. Finally, Frazier Financial Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of United Rentals by 250.0% in the 3rd quarter. Frazier Financial Advisors LLC now owns 42 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $40,000 after acquiring an additional 30 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

URI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $965.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Barclays lowered their target price on United Rentals from $620.00 to $600.00 and set an “underweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, October 20th. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target 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. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada cut their price objective on United Rentals from $1,123.00 to $1,041.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have given a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $925.59.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of URI opened at $873.08 on Thursday. The firm has a market cap of $55.00 billion, a PE ratio of 22.57, a PEG ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.70. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $525.91 and a 1 year high of $1,021.47. 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’s fifty day moving average price is $855.75 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $889.53.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The construction company reported $11.09 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.86 by ($0.77). The company had revenue of $4.21 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.24 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.35% and a net margin of 15.49%.United Rentals’s revenue was up 2.8% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $11.59 earnings per share. On average, equities research analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.9%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 11th. United Rentals’s payout ratio is currently 20.37%.

United Rentals announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback plan on Wednesday, January 28th that permits the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the construction company to repurchase up to 8.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $790.89, for a total transaction of $1,184,753.22. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 6,872 shares in the company, valued at $5,434,996.08. The trade was a 17.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated 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 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 position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Corporate 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.