Bridgewater Advisors Inc. Purchases Shares of 946 United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Bridgewater Advisors Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 946 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $596,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its position in United Rentals by 241.7% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. TruNorth Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in United Rentals by 1,266.7% during the 1st quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 41 shares of the construction company's stock worth $26,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company's stock.

United Rentals Trading Down 0.7%

URI traded down $5.34 on Friday, hitting $811.48. The company had a trading volume of 83,901 shares, compared to its average volume of 585,743. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $734.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $688.54. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. 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 $52.75 billion, a PE ratio of 20.99, a PEG ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.69.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last posted 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). United Rentals had a net margin of 16.38% and a return on equity of 33.11%. The company had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.15 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th were issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals's payout ratio is 18.54%.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total value of $499,748.88. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 1,921 shares in the company, valued at $1,355,957.06. The trade was a 26.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $626.28, for a total value of $688,908.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president owned 8,748 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,478,697.44. This trade represents a 11.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on URI. Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on United Rentals from $535.00 to $571.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and set a $810.00 price objective (up from $740.00) on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $732.00 to $786.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, UBS Group raised shares of United Rentals from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and raised their price target for the company from $485.00 to $780.00 in a research report on Friday, May 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $768.54.

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.