Securian Asset Management Inc. Sells 1,419 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Securian Asset Management Inc. trimmed its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 45.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,706 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,419 shares during the period. Securian Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $1,381,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of URI. Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 22.8% in the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,402,524 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,247,762,000 after acquiring an additional 631,484 shares in the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 66.5% during the 3rd quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 484,450 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $462,485,000 after acquiring an additional 193,416 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 3,459.3% in the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 196,688 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $159,184,000 after buying an additional 191,162 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its position in United Rentals by 6.7% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,678,614 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,557,158,000 after buying an additional 168,685 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its stake in United Rentals by 3,094.3% during the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 155,273 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $148,233,000 after acquiring an additional 150,412 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on URI shares. Citigroup lifted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $950.00 to $1,130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $1,030.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, April 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on United Rentals from $850.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Barclays boosted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $600.00 to $715.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada upped their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $1,041.00 to $1,119.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Thirteen research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $996.94.

United Rentals Trading Up 1.9%

United Rentals stock opened at $956.14 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The firm has a market cap of $59.90 billion, a PE ratio of 24.39, a P/E/G ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.83. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $810.83 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $837.77. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $681.98 and a 12 month high of $1,021.47.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $9.71 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.47 by ($1.76). The business had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.56% and a net margin of 15.32%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $8.86 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 46.99 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 13th will be paid a $1.97 dividend. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 13th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 20.10%.

United Rentals declared that its board has authorized a share repurchase program on Wednesday, January 28th that allows the company to buyback $5.00 billion in shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to purchase up to 8.7% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are often an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 22,768 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $984.98, for a total value of $22,426,024.64. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 99,980 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $98,478,300.40. This trade represents a 18.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 548 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $977.86, for a total value of $535,867.28. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,865 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,823,708.90. This trade represents a 22.71% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 26,088 shares of company stock valued at $25,628,877 in the last 90 days. 0.47% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

About United Rentals

United Rentals, Inc (NYSE: URI) is a leading equipment rental company headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The firm provides rental solutions and related services to construction, industrial, commercial, and municipal customers. Its business model centers on providing access to a broad fleet of equipment on a short-term or long-term basis, enabling customers to avoid the capital expenditure of ownership and to scale equipment use to match project needs.

The company’s product and service offerings span general construction equipment and a range of specialty categories, including aerial work platforms, earthmoving and excavation machines, material handling equipment, pumps, power and HVAC systems, trench and shoring solutions, and tools.