Fidelis Capital Partners LLC Takes Position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Fidelis Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor purchased 478 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $274,000.

A number of other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Ballentine Partners LLC raised its stake in United Rentals by 2.1% during the 4th 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 period. DGS Capital Management LLC raised its stake in United Rentals by 1.3% during the 4th 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 period. Oak Ridge Investments LLC raised its stake in United Rentals by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Oak Ridge Investments LLC now owns 5,816 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,335,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Caprock Group LLC raised its stake in United Rentals by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Caprock Group LLC now owns 900 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $516,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, AdvisorNet Financial Inc raised its stake in United Rentals by 71.4% during the 4th quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 48 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Trading Down 0.7 %

United Rentals stock opened at $628.34 on Friday. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $325.15 and a 52 week high of $732.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.81. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.77, a PEG ratio of 2.18 and a beta of 1.84. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $679.93 and a 200 day simple moving average of $571.40.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The construction company reported $11.26 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates 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 during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.63 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $9.74 earnings per share. United Rentals’s quarterly revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. Analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.13 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date 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%.

United Rentals announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Wednesday, January 24th that authorizes the company to buyback $1.50 billion in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the construction company to repurchase up to 3.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company’s leadership believes its stock is undervalued.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently commented on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on United Rentals from $718.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, April 16th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on United Rentals in a report on Monday, January 8th. They set an “equal weight” rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. Evercore ISI increased their target price on United Rentals from $575.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on United Rentals from $322.00 to $559.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a report on Friday, January 26th. Finally, BNP Paribas reiterated an “underperform” rating and set a $485.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, January 5th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $589.21.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $655.62, for a total transaction of $508,105.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,323 shares in the company, valued at $4,145,485.26. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.