United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Shares Acquired by Kovack Advisors Inc.

Kovack Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 7.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 10,938 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 769 shares during the quarter. United Rentals makes up approximately 0.7% of Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 18th largest position. Kovack Advisors Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $6,272,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. International Assets Investment Management LLC boosted its position in United Rentals by 58,829.4% during the 4th quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,043,051 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $598,106,000 after acquiring an additional 1,041,281 shares during the period. Invesco Ltd. boosted its position in United Rentals by 19.1% during the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 933,428 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $414,974,000 after acquiring an additional 149,838 shares during the period. Northern Trust Corp boosted its position in United Rentals by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 680,217 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $302,404,000 after acquiring an additional 10,018 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its position in United Rentals by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 638,958 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $284,061,000 after acquiring an additional 72,066 shares during the period. Finally, Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its position in United Rentals by 9.9% during the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 390,872 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $173,770,000 after acquiring an additional 35,295 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have issued reports on URI shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on United Rentals from $322.00 to $559.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on United Rentals from $720.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday. Morgan Stanley began coverage on United Rentals in a research note on Monday, January 8th. They issued an “equal weight” rating and a $500.00 price objective on the stock. Barclays boosted their price objective on United Rentals from $325.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group boosted 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. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $600.57.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of the company’s 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,323 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,145,485.26. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.0 %

NYSE:URI traded down $0.15 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $690.77. 581,706 shares of the company’s stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 588,042. The firm has a market cap of $46.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.27 and a beta of 1.84. United Rentals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $325.15 and a twelve month 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’s fifty day moving average price is $681.18 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $578.63.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $9.15 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $8.35 by $0.80. United Rentals had a return on equity of 36.85% and a net margin of 17.31%. The firm had revenue of $3.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.44 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $7.95 earnings per share. United Rentals’s quarterly revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.13 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 8th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Tuesday, May 7th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.94%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 17.66%.

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

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.