Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC Boosts Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC raised its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 38.6% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,651 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 1,573 shares during the period. United Rentals makes up 2.6% of Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC’s portfolio, making the stock its 9th largest holding. Benchmark Investment Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $3,981,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in United Rentals during the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 241.7% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management purchased a new position in United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth $33,000. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,390,128. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on URI shares. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $956.00 target price (down previously from $963.00) on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 31st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird raised shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Bank of America decreased their price objective on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price target for the stock from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Rentals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $804.15.

United Rentals Price Performance

URI opened at $564.56 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.98. The company has a market capitalization of $36.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.57, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.72. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $544.32 and a 1-year high of $896.98. The company has a 50-day moving average of $669.75 and a 200-day moving average of $750.73.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share (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%. Equities analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.27%. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. United Rentals’s payout ratio is presently 18.48%.

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.