3,941 Shares in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Bought by Woodline Partners LP

Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 3,941 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,776,000.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in United Rentals by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 14,855 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,464,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in United Rentals by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 445,214 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $313,627,000 after purchasing an additional 6,787 shares during the period. Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth $649,000. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. boosted its stake in United Rentals by 35.1% in the 4th quarter. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 4,114 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,898,000 after purchasing an additional 1,068 shares during the period. Finally, Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd boosted its stake in United Rentals by 8.3% in the 4th quarter. Sumitomo Mitsui DS Asset Management Company Ltd now owns 7,813 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $5,504,000 after purchasing an additional 596 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,390,128. This represents a 13.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total transaction of $499,748.88. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 2,908 shares of company stock worth $1,890,567. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages have commented on URI. Morgan Stanley raised shares of United Rentals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $702.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $780.00 to $920.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Cfra Research raised shares of United Rentals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $757.38.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of URI stock opened at $700.31 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 firm’s 50-day moving average is $636.40 and its 200-day moving average is $706.53. The stock has a market cap of $45.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.07, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $525.91 and a 52-week high of $896.98.

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

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.02%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.54%.

United Rentals 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.