United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Shares Sold by Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC

Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 26.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 12,029 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 4,272 shares during the quarter. Knights of Columbus Asset Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $6,898,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. AdvisorNet Financial Inc boosted its position in United Rentals by 71.4% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 48 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in United Rentals during the third quarter worth approximately $25,000. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in United Rentals during the third quarter worth approximately $29,000. Arlington Trust Co LLC lifted its position in United Rentals by 50.0% during the fourth quarter. Arlington Trust Co LLC now owns 84 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 28 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals during the third quarter worth approximately $40,000. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,323 shares in the company, valued at $4,145,485.26. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have issued reports on the company. 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 target price for the company. BNP Paribas reaffirmed an “underperform” rating and issued a $485.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 5th. Evercore ISI raised their price target on United Rentals from $575.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 20th. Truist Financial initiated coverage on United Rentals in a research report on Thursday, March 14th. They set a “buy” rating and a $793.00 price target for the company. Finally, 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. Three 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 has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $589.21.

United Rentals Trading Down 0.7 %

Shares of URI stock traded down $4.35 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $628.53. 266,093 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 574,973. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $325.15 and a fifty-two week high of $732.37. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $680.37 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $569.06. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24. The stock has a market cap of $42.22 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.82, a PEG ratio of 2.21 and a beta of 1.84.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted 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 quarter last year, the firm earned $9.74 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.13 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 14th were issued a $1.63 dividend. 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 1.04%. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.48. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.44%.

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.