United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Shares Acquired by Scientech Research LLC

Scientech Research LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 217.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,666 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,141 shares during the quarter. Scientech Research LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $1,174,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in URI. Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in United Rentals by 241.7% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management acquired a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

URI has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Cfra Research upgraded shares of United Rentals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Rentals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $748.38.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In related news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total transaction of $499,748.88. Following the completion of 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 document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $626.28, for a total value of $688,908.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 8,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,478,697.44. This represents a 11.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 2,908 shares of company stock valued at $1,890,567 in the last 90 days. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Rentals Trading Up 1.9%

NYSE:URI opened at $726.59 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $47.23 billion, a PE ratio of 18.75, a price-to-earnings-growth 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, Inc. has a 52-week low of $525.91 and a 52-week high of $896.98. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $626.76 and a 200-day simple moving average of $710.94.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released 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 firm had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.15 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid 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 is Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 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.