Buffington Mohr McNeal Lowers Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Buffington Mohr McNeal lessened its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 0.2% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 20,692 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 51 shares during the quarter. United Rentals accounts for approximately 2.4% of Buffington Mohr McNeal’s holdings, making the stock its 12th biggest position. Buffington Mohr McNeal’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $11,865,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. DGS Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 1,441 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $827,000 after purchasing an additional 18 shares during the period. Dakota Wealth Management grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 77.1% during the 4th quarter. Dakota Wealth Management now owns 9,122 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,231,000 after purchasing an additional 3,971 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd. grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 95.3% during the 4th quarter. Vontobel Holding Ltd. now owns 4,453 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,553,000 after purchasing an additional 2,173 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at about $2,351,000. Finally, Simplicity Solutions LLC grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 12.8% during the 4th quarter. Simplicity Solutions LLC now owns 2,064 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,184,000 after purchasing an additional 234 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

URI has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on United Rentals from $322.00 to $559.00 and gave the company an “underperform” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. 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 note on Friday, January 26th. Barclays boosted their price objective on United Rentals from $325.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Evercore ISI boosted their price objective on United Rentals from $575.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on United Rentals in a research note on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $500.00 price objective for the company. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $589.21.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of the firm’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 value of $508,105.50. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,323 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,145,485.26. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.49% of the stock is owned by insiders.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:URI traded down $6.50 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $660.24. The stock had a trading volume of 210,975 shares, compared to its average volume of 570,703. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $680.96 and its 200 day moving average price is $566.65. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $325.15 and a 1 year high of $732.37. The company has a market cap of $44.35 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.68, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 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.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $10.85 by $0.41. United Rentals had a return on equity of 36.80% and a net margin of 16.91%. The business had revenue of $3.73 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.63 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.74 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.05 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 14th were paid a $1.63 dividend. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.48. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 13th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.44%.

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

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.