6,500 Shares in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Purchased by Jefferies Financial Group Inc.

Key Points

• Jefferies Financial Group Inc. purchased 6,500 shares of United Rentals, valued at approximately $4,074,000, indicating strong institutional interest in the stock.
• United Rentals reported a quarterly earnings per share (EPS) of $10.47, slightly missing analysts' expectations, while revenue reached $3.94 billion, exceeding forecasts.
• The company declared a quarterly dividend of $1.79 per share, to be paid on August 27th, representing a 0.8% dividend yield.

Jefferies Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 6,500 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $4,074,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of URI. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in United Rentals during the first quarter worth about $26,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of United Rentals by 1,266.7% during the first quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 41 shares of the construction company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 38 shares in the last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. grew its position in shares of United Rentals by 69.0% during the first quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 49 shares of the construction company's stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals during the first quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals during the first quarter worth about $40,000. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 1,921 shares in the company, valued at $1,355,957.06. This trade represents a 26.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Redburn Atlantic downgraded United Rentals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $760.00 price objective for the company. in a research report on Friday, June 13th. Evercore ISI lowered their price target on United Rentals from $974.00 to $921.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 19th. UBS Group boosted their price objective on United Rentals from $780.00 to $835.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Cfra Research upgraded United Rentals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price objective on United Rentals from $895.00 to $900.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Rentals currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $830.71.

United Rentals Price Performance

United Rentals stock traded down $3.73 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $864.84. The company's stock had a trading volume of 23,438 shares, compared to its average volume of 660,359. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $525.91 and a fifty-two week high of $903.60. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a current ratio of 0.86. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $768.54 and its 200 day simple moving average is $700.64. The firm has a market capitalization of $55.64 billion, a PE ratio of 22.44, a P/E/G ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.72.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, July 23rd. The construction company reported $10.47 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $10.54 by ($0.07). United Rentals had a net margin of 16.11% and a return on equity of 32.01%. The business had revenue of $3.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.90 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $10.70 EPS. United Rentals's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities research analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be given a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 13th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.52%.

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.