Aquatic Capital Management LLC Invests $16.73 Million in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Aquatic Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 23,748 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $16,729,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $25,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its position in United Rentals by 241.7% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the construction company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management purchased a new stake in United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth about $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company's stock.

United Rentals Trading Up 1.9 %

Shares of United Rentals stock traded up $11.91 during trading on Thursday, hitting $643.36. The stock had a trading volume of 370,630 shares, compared to its average volume of 588,865. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $612.54 and a 200 day simple moving average of $723.24. The company has a market capitalization of $41.82 billion, a PE ratio of 16.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.72. 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 analysts' consensus estimates of $8.92 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. The firm's revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $9.15 EPS. On average, research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.11%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $626.28, for a total transaction of $688,908.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms recently commented on URI. Bank of America dropped their price objective on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein raised United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and reduced their price target for the stock from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Baird R W upgraded United Rentals from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Cfra Research upgraded United Rentals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price objective on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $725.69.

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.