Matthew John Flannery Sells 8,379 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Stock

United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 8,379 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $699.63, for a total value of $5,862,199.77. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $72,341,742. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink.

United Rentals Trading Down 2.1 %

Shares of URI opened at $653.76 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.89. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $682.90 and a 200 day moving average price of $583.96. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $325.15 and a one year high of $732.37. The company has a market capitalization of $43.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.33 and a beta of 1.84.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $9.15 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.35 by $0.80. United Rentals had a return on equity of 36.44% and a net margin of 17.31%. The company had revenue of $3.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.44 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $7.95 EPS. United Rentals’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.39 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 8th will be issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Tuesday, May 7th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 17.66%.

United Rentals announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, January 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to purchase up to 3.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often a sign that the company’s management believes its shares are undervalued.

Institutional Trading of United Rentals

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Hoylecohen LLC raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 1.4% during the 4th quarter. Hoylecohen LLC now owns 1,163 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $667,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC increased its position in United Rentals by 2.1% in the 4th quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 889 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $510,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. DGS Capital Management LLC increased its position in United Rentals by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 1,441 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $827,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares during the period. Oak Ridge Investments LLC increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 5,816 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,335,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, Caprock Group LLC increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 900 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $516,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have weighed in on URI shares. Barclays raised their price target on United Rentals from $325.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on United Rentals from $322.00 to $559.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on United Rentals in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on United Rentals from $718.00 to $790.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on United Rentals from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $600.79.

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.