Woodline Partners LP Makes New Investment in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Woodline Partners LP bought a new position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 3,941 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $2,776,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital World Investors increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 17.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,221,228 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,564,722,000 after buying an additional 323,636 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,587,203 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,115,142,000 after buying an additional 20,401 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 16.0% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,250,324 shares of the construction company's stock worth $880,778,000 after buying an additional 172,340 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,093,350 shares of the construction company's stock worth $770,199,000 after buying an additional 97,336 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 41.0% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,051,365 shares of the construction company's stock worth $740,624,000 after buying an additional 305,491 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on URI shares. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and cut their price target for the company from $705.00 to $666.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $780.00 to $920.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of United Rentals from $974.00 to $921.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, May 19th. One 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. According to MarketBeat, United Rentals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $753.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 owns 8,748 shares in the company, valued at $5,478,697.44. The trade was a 11.17% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 approximately $1,355,957.06. The trade was a 26.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of URI stock traded down $4.58 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $710.40. 118,412 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 599,389. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $525.91 and a 12 month high of $896.98. The company has a market cap of $46.18 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.33, a P/E/G 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. The company's 50-day moving average price is $642.57 and its 200-day moving average price is $703.27.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) 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 firm had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.15 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect 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. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th were paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals's payout ratio is 18.54%.

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.