Vident Advisory LLC Buys 30,458 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Vident Advisory LLC grew its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 1,761.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 32,187 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 30,458 shares during the quarter. Vident Advisory LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $22,674,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in URI. Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of United Rentals by 241.7% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth about $34,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total transaction of $701,910.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 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 transaction of $499,748.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,921 shares in the company, valued at $1,355,957.06. This trade represents a 26.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 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 Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE URI opened at $726.59 on Monday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $626.76 and its 200-day moving average price is $709.52. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a market cap of $47.23 billion, a PE ratio of 18.75, 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 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.92 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.61 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. The business’s revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $9.15 EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals’s payout ratio is presently 18.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup reduced their target price 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. Morgan Stanley raised shares of United Rentals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $702.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Bank of America reduced their target price on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 21st. UBS Group raised shares of 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 research report on Friday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on shares of United Rentals from $1,000.00 to $750.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $748.38.

United Rentals Company 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.