GHP Investment Advisors Inc. Has $10.03 Million Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 7.8% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 16,010 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,155 shares during the quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc.'s holdings in United Rentals were worth $10,034,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Erste Asset Management GmbH grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 0.5% during the 4th 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 in the last quarter. Forum Financial Management LP boosted its stake in United Rentals by 1.9% in the 4th quarter. Forum Financial Management LP now owns 749 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $528,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC boosted its stake in United Rentals by 4.5% in the 4th quarter. Global Retirement Partners LLC now owns 395 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $278,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. boosted its stake in United Rentals by 1.7% in the 4th quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 999 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $704,000 after buying an additional 17 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Howard Capital Management Inc. boosted its stake in United Rentals by 4.6% in the 4th quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 412 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $290,000 after buying an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on the company. UBS Group raised United Rentals from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their price target for the company from $485.00 to $780.00 in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on United Rentals from $974.00 to $921.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Morgan Stanley raised United Rentals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $702.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Bank of America decreased their price target on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on United Rentals from $780.00 to $920.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. 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 assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $765.07.

United Rentals Trading Up 3.5%

Shares of URI stock traded up $25.12 on Tuesday, reaching $741.69. 680,006 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 586,500. The stock has a market cap of $48.21 billion, a PE ratio of 19.20, a P/E/G ratio of 1.75 and a beta of 1.70. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $525.91 and a one year high of $896.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a current ratio of 0.85 and a quick ratio of 0.79. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $679.22 and a 200 day moving average price of $683.84.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $8.92 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 33.11% and a net margin of 16.38%. The company's revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.15 EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th were given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. United Rentals's payout ratio is currently 18.54%.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In related news, 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 value of $499,748.88. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,355,957.06. This represents a 26.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, 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 completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 8,748 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,478,697.44. This represents a 11.17% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.