Brown Advisory Inc. Reduces Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Brown Advisory Inc. lowered its position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 1.7% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 296,621 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 5,048 shares during the quarter. Brown Advisory Inc. owned about 0.46% of United Rentals worth $185,892,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in URI. Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in United Rentals by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,794 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,002,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 1.9% in the fourth quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 749 shares of the construction company's stock worth $528,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Centaurus Financial Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 1.7% during the 4th quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 999 shares of the construction company's stock worth $704,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 4.0% during the 1st quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC now owns 490 shares of the construction company's stock worth $307,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC boosted its holdings in United Rentals by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Dorsey & Whitney Trust CO LLC now owns 568 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $400,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company's stock.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.7%

NYSE URI traded down $5.47 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $814.27. 603,953 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 587,416. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $525.91 and a 52 week high of $896.98. The company's 50-day simple moving average is $722.31 and its 200-day simple moving average is $686.12. The company has a market cap of $52.93 billion, a PE ratio of 21.08, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.79.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last announced 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 firm 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 earned $9.15 earnings per share. United Rentals's revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced 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 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have weighed in on the company. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on United Rentals from $770.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $974.00 to $921.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Monday, May 19th. Truist Financial upped their target price on shares of United Rentals from $732.00 to $786.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $810.00 price target (up previously from $740.00) on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on United Rentals from $920.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $768.54.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total transaction of $499,748.88. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,355,957.06. The trade was a 26.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the firm'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 completion of the transaction, 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. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.