Aristeia Capital L.L.C. Invests $492,000 in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Aristeia Capital L.L.C. acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund acquired 698 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $492,000.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in URI. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in United Rentals in the third quarter worth about $2,147,000. Tidal Investments LLC increased its stake in United Rentals by 8.1% during the third quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 8,295 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $6,717,000 after purchasing an additional 624 shares during the last quarter. Synovus Financial Corp raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 8.4% during the third quarter. Synovus Financial Corp now owns 634 shares of the construction company's stock worth $513,000 after purchasing an additional 49 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 996,014 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $862,110,000 after buying an additional 57,002 shares during the period. Finally, Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its position in shares of United Rentals by 3.3% during the 3rd quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 79,235 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $64,159,000 after buying an additional 2,554 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $626.28, for a total value of $688,908.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,478,697.44. This trade represents a 11.17 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Rentals Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE URI traded up $0.78 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, hitting $652.43. 501,704 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 594,217. The business has a 50 day moving average of $614.01 and a two-hundred day moving average of $717.28. The stock has a market capitalization of $42.41 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.84, a PEG 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 1 year low of $525.91 and a 1 year high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last released its 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 business 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 company's 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, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals's payout ratio is presently 18.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have commented on the company. Cfra Research upgraded United Rentals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Morgan Stanley raised shares of United Rentals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $702.00 price target for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $535.00 to $571.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup cut their price target on United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $725.69.

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.