EP Wealth Advisors LLC Reduces Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

EP Wealth Advisors LLC reduced its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 4.8% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,436 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 73 shares during the period. EP Wealth Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $1,036,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC lifted its position in United Rentals by 3.7% during the 1st quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 418 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $301,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Hoylecohen LLC raised its holdings in United Rentals by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Hoylecohen LLC now owns 1,163 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $667,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its holdings in United Rentals by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 889 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $510,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in United Rentals by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. DGS Capital Management LLC now owns 1,441 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $827,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Choreo LLC raised its holdings in United Rentals by 1.3% in the first quarter. Choreo LLC now owns 1,456 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,050,000 after buying an additional 18 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of URI traded down $2.05 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $752.21. The stock had a trading volume of 902,344 shares, compared to its average volume of 586,243. The firm has a market cap of $50.09 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.72, a PEG ratio of 2.35 and a beta of 1.71. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $387.01 and a 12 month high of $789.80. The business has a fifty day moving average of $663.50 and a 200 day moving average of $660.57. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.89.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 24th. The construction company reported $10.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.48 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $3.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.77 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 17.35% and a return on equity of 36.18%. The company’s revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $9.88 earnings per share. Equities analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.89 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 14th will be issued a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.87%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 14th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.66%.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In other news, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 8,379 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were 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 owns 103,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $72,341,742. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. In related news, COO Michael D. Durand sold 559 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $674.56, for a total transaction of $377,079.04. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 8,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,431,557.12. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 8,379 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $699.63, for a total transaction of $5,862,199.77. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $72,341,742. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have issued reports on URI. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $790.00 to $905.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday. Raymond James assumed coverage on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $750.00 target price for the company. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $720.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 26th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $745.00 price target for the company. Finally, Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Monday, April 29th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $651.20.

United Rentals Company Profile

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.