Applied Finance Capital Management LLC Sells 6,824 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Applied Finance Capital Management LLC reduced its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 11.9% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 50,550 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 6,824 shares during the quarter. United Rentals makes up about 1.5% of Applied Finance Capital Management LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 28th largest position. Applied Finance Capital Management LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $35,609,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in United Rentals during the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its position in United Rentals by 241.7% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management purchased a new position in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

United Rentals stock opened at $559.94 on Tuesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $665.55 and its 200 day simple moving average is $748.93. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.58 billion, a PE ratio of 14.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.72. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $525.91 and a 1-year high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. As a group, analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.28%. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on shares of United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Baird R W upgraded United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $956.00 price target (down previously from $963.00) on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $781.36.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

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.