Inspire Advisors LLC Increases Stock Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Inspire Advisors LLC raised its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 13.6% during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 1,376 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 165 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $862,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of URI. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in United Rentals in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC raised its position in United Rentals by 1,266.7% in the 1st quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 41 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. raised its position in United Rentals by 69.0% in the 1st quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 49 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in United Rentals in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Rentals news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $626.28, for a total transaction of $688,908.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 8,748 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,478,697.44. This trade represents a 11.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the vice president directly owned 1,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,355,957.06. The trade was a 26.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Rentals Trading Up 1.5%

NYSE:URI opened at $888.41 on Monday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $747.81 and its 200 day moving average price is $694.25. The company has a market capitalization of $57.16 billion, a PE ratio of 22.97, a P/E/G ratio of 2.06 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $525.91 and a 52-week high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The construction company reported $10.47 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.54 by ($0.07). United Rentals had a return on equity of 32.01% and a net margin of 16.11%. The firm had revenue of $3.94 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.90 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $10.70 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, August 13th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.81%. United Rentals’s payout ratio is 18.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on URI. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price target on United Rentals from $770.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 27th. Barclays increased their price objective on United Rentals from $565.00 to $620.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Monday, July 21st. Cfra Research upgraded United Rentals to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $810.00 price objective (up previously from $740.00) on shares of United Rentals in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, UBS Group increased their price objective on United Rentals from $780.00 to $835.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Thursday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Rentals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $812.64.

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.