Vontobel Holding Ltd. Acquires 2,173 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 95.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,453 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,173 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $2,553,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 3rd quarter worth about $25,000. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp increased its stake in United Rentals by 1,900.0% during the 3rd quarter. MUFG Americas Holdings Corp now owns 100 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $27,000 after purchasing an additional 95 shares in the last quarter. Eagle Bay Advisors LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals in the second quarter worth about $27,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 71.4% in the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 48 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Rentals in the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $655.62, for a total transaction of $508,105.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,145,485.26. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE URI opened at $632.88 on Friday. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $325.15 and a 12-month high of $732.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $42.51 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.90, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.84. The company has a current ratio of 0.81, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $680.37 and a 200 day moving average of $569.06.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 24th. The construction company reported $11.26 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.85 by $0.41. United Rentals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 36.80%. The firm had revenue of $3.73 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.63 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.74 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.13 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase program on Wednesday, January 24th that permits the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization permits the construction company to buy up to 3.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 14th were given a $1.63 dividend. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.48. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, February 13th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.44%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on URI shares. Evercore ISI raised their price target on shares of United Rentals from $575.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. BNP Paribas restated an “underperform” rating and issued a $485.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 5th. Morgan Stanley began coverage on United Rentals in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on United Rentals from $718.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, Truist Financial began coverage on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Thursday, March 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $793.00 target price on the stock. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $589.21.

About United Rentals

United Rentals, Inc, through its subsidiaries, operates as an equipment rental company. It operates in two segments, General Rentals and Specialty. The General Rentals segment rents general construction and industrial equipment includes backhoes, skid-steer loaders, forklifts, earthmoving equipment, and material handling equipment; aerial work platforms, such as boom and scissor lifts; and general tools and light equipment comprising pressure washers, water pumps, and power tools for construction and industrial companies, manufacturers, utilities, municipalities, homeowners, and government entities.