ProShare Advisors LLC Purchases 982 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

ProShare Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 10.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,161 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 982 shares during the quarter. ProShare Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $7,158,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Quantinno Capital Management LP grew its position in shares of United Rentals by 43.6% in the 4th quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 10,782 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,595,000 after purchasing an additional 3,273 shares during the period. Pathstone Holdings LLC grew its position in United Rentals by 7.9% in the fourth quarter. Pathstone Holdings LLC now owns 18,867 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $13,290,000 after purchasing an additional 1,376 shares in the last quarter. Parkwood LLC bought a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at about $9,650,000. Mufg Securities Americas Inc. bought a new position in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $683,000. Finally, Man Group plc acquired a new position in United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth $13,017,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have issued reports on URI. Bank of America dropped their price objective on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on United Rentals from $535.00 to $571.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group raised United Rentals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and raised their price target for the company from $485.00 to $780.00 in a report on Friday. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $705.00 to $666.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of United Rentals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $702.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Rentals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $748.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total transaction of $499,748.88. Following the sale, the vice president now owns 1,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,355,957.06. This trade represents a 26.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total transaction of $701,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,908 shares of company stock worth $1,890,567. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

NYSE URI opened at $726.59 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $626.76 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $709.52. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $525.91 and a 12-month high of $896.98. The company has a market capitalization of $47.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.75, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.92 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.15 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.54%.

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.