United Rentals, Inc. $URI Stake Decreased by Gamco Investors INC. ET AL

Gamco Investors INC. ET AL cut its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 3.8% in the 3rd quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 31,831 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,269 shares during the period. Gamco Investors INC. ET AL’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $30,388,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new stake in United Rentals in the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC boosted its position in 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 during the period. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of United Rentals in the third quarter worth $29,000. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United Rentals in the third quarter worth $32,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals during the third quarter valued at $40,000. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages recently weighed in on URI. Robert W. Baird set a $970.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $965.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Citigroup lowered their target price on shares of United Rentals from $1,090.00 to $950.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $995.00 to $1,071.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of United Rentals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $1,025.00 price target for the company in a research note on Sunday, January 4th. 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 assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $925.59.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president owned 7,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,900,322.12. The trade was a 25.03% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $790.89, for a total transaction of $1,184,753.22. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,872 shares in the company, valued at $5,434,996.08. This represents a 17.90% decrease in their position. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Down 3.8%

Shares of URI stock opened at $811.30 on Friday. 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 quick ratio of 0.88 and a current ratio of 0.94. The business’s fifty day moving average is $872.79 and its 200-day moving average is $886.49. The stock has a market cap of $51.11 billion, a PE ratio of 20.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.66.

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

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 11th were issued a $1.97 dividend. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.0%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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 currently 20.37%.

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

About United Rentals

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.