Burney Co. Raises Position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Burney Co. lifted its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 2.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 19,810 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 469 shares during the quarter. Burney Co.'s holdings in United Rentals were worth $12,415,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds also recently modified their holdings of the company. Forum Financial Management LP raised its position in United Rentals by 1.9% during the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 749 shares of the construction company's stock worth $528,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. raised its position in 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 purchasing an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 3.6% in the 1st quarter. Leavell Investment Management Inc. now owns 515 shares of the construction company's stock worth $323,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Baer Investment Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 0.6% in the 1st quarter. Baer Investment Advisory LLC now owns 3,202 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,007,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 4.0% in 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 in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company's stock.

United Rentals Trading Up 1.5%

Shares of United Rentals stock traded up $13.16 during trading on Friday, reaching $888.41. 872,750 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 634,406. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $525.91 and a 1 year high of $896.98. The stock's fifty day moving average is $747.81 and its 200 day moving average is $693.93. The firm has a market cap of $57.75 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.14 and a beta of 1.69.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The construction company reported $10.47 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.54 by ($0.07). United Rentals had a return on equity of 32.01% and a net margin of 16.11%. The company had revenue of $3.94 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.90 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $10.70 earnings per share. The business's quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 13th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. United Rentals's payout ratio is 18.52%.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $626.28, for a total transaction of $688,908.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 8,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,478,697.44. This trade represents a 11.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred 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. This trade represents 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.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on URI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on United Rentals from $920.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. Citigroup reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $810.00 target price (up from $740.00) on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Tuesday, June 24th. Barclays lifted their price target on United Rentals from $565.00 to $620.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research note on Monday, July 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on United Rentals from $770.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on United Rentals from $974.00 to $921.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 19th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $812.64.

About United Rentals

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.