United Rentals, Inc. $URI is Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc.’s 4th Largest Position

Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 1.0% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 70,899 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 746 shares during the period. United Rentals accounts for 5.2% of Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $67,684,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Woodline Partners LP boosted its position in United Rentals by 40.0% during the first quarter. Woodline Partners LP now owns 5,518 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,458,000 after purchasing an additional 1,577 shares during the last quarter. Callan Family Office LLC raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 115.0% during the 2nd quarter. Callan Family Office LLC now owns 1,679 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,265,000 after purchasing an additional 898 shares in the last quarter. Blue Trust Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 12.3% during the 2nd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 348 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $262,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Aberdeen Group plc grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 6.6% in the 2nd quarter. Aberdeen Group plc now owns 51,049 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $38,460,000 after buying an additional 3,151 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH acquired a new position in United Rentals in the second quarter worth approximately $38,000. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Rentals Trading Down 2.6%

United Rentals stock opened at $876.25 on Tuesday. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $525.91 and a 52 week 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 firm has a market capitalization of $55.20 billion, a PE ratio of 22.65, a PEG ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.70. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $853.05 and its 200-day simple moving average is $889.74.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 28th. The construction company reported $11.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.86 by ($0.77). The business 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 business’s quarterly revenue was up 2.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the business earned $11.59 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase plan on Wednesday, January 28th that permits the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to buy up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase plans are often an indication that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 25th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 11th will be given a dividend of $1.97 per share. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 11th. United Rentals’s payout ratio is presently 18.51%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 approximately $5,434,996.08. The trade was a 17.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $791.14, for a total transaction of $1,969,938.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 7,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,900,322.12. This represents a 25.03% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

URI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Royal Bank Of Canada reduced their target price on shares of United Rentals from $1,123.00 to $1,041.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, January 30th. UBS Group raised shares of United Rentals from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $1,025.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Sunday, January 4th. 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 report on Monday, February 2nd. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Wednesday, January 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $970.00 price target on United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have issued a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $925.59.

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.