James Investment Research Inc. Decreases Stock Position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

James Investment Research Inc. lowered its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 3.6% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,728 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 438 shares during the period. James Investment Research Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $7,350,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at about $244,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. increased its holdings in United Rentals by 9.7% during the 4th quarter. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. now owns 3,967 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,795,000 after purchasing an additional 351 shares during the period. Cibc World Markets Corp increased its holdings in United Rentals by 15.4% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 10,405 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,330,000 after purchasing an additional 1,390 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its holdings in United Rentals by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,440 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Finally, Signaturefd LLC increased its holdings in United Rentals by 15.9% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,767 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,245,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

URI stock opened at $799.28 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $51.95 billion, a PE ratio of 20.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.69. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $525.91 and a 12-month high of $896.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $728.29 and its 200 day simple moving average is $686.99.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 earnings per share 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 the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 16.38% and a return on equity of 33.11%. United Rentals’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $9.15 earnings per share. As a group, research analysts forecast 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 was paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th were issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.90%. United Rentals’s payout ratio is 18.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

URI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America reduced their price target on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. UBS Group upgraded United Rentals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the stock from $485.00 to $780.00 in a report on Friday, May 16th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $810.00 target price (up previously from $740.00) on shares of United Rentals in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Cfra Research upgraded United Rentals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic downgraded United Rentals from a “buy” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $760.00 target price on the stock. in a report on Friday, June 13th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $768.54.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total value of $499,748.88. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,921 shares in the company, valued at $1,355,957.06. This represents a 26.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $626.28, for a total value of $688,908.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $5,478,697.44. This trade represents a 11.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.