Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. Increases Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. boosted its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 70.7% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,707 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 707 shares during the period. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $1,486,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Loomis Sayles & Co. L P acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals in the second quarter worth $28,000. Salomon & Ludwin LLC increased 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 purchasing an additional 26 shares in the last quarter. Cedar Mountain Advisors LLC acquired a new position in United Rentals in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Trust Co. of Toledo NA OH purchased a new position in United Rentals in the 2nd quarter valued at about $38,000. Finally, Steigerwald Gordon & Koch Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 3rd quarter worth about $40,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Up 6.3%

Shares of NYSE URI opened at $901.15 on Monday. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $851.62 and a 200 day moving average price of $889.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $525.91 and a 12-month high of $1,021.47. The company has a market cap of $56.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 23.30, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.70.

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

United Rentals announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to buyback $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to repurchase up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business 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 dividend of $1.97 per share. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.79. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 11th. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.9%. United Rentals’s payout ratio is currently 20.37%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 7,458 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,900,322.12. The trade was a 25.03% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

URI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $1,150.00 to $970.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $965.00 price target on United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 30th. Robert W. Baird set a $970.00 price objective on United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 30th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on 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, Royal Bank Of Canada lowered their price target on United Rentals from $1,123.00 to $1,041.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Friday, January 30th. Two investment 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 given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Rentals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price 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.