Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. Invests $226,000 in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Harel Insurance Investments & Financial Services Ltd. acquired a new stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 360 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $226,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 241.7% during the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 1st quarter valued at $26,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at $36,000. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total transaction of $499,748.88. Following the sale, the vice president owned 1,921 shares in the company, valued at $1,355,957.06. This represents a 26.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $626.28, for a total value of $688,908.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president directly owned 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. Corporate insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

United Rentals Stock Up 1.4%

NYSE:URI traded up $10.87 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $802.35. The stock had a trading volume of 250,367 shares, compared to its average volume of 586,863. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $525.91 and a fifty-two week 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 business's 50 day moving average is $712.29 and its 200 day moving average is $683.99. The stock has a market cap of $52.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.78, a PEG ratio of 1.92 and a beta of 1.69.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $8.92 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 16.38% and a return on equity of 33.11%. The business's quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $9.15 earnings per share. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th were given a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts recently commented on the stock. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Morgan Stanley raised shares of United Rentals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $702.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and set a $810.00 price target (up from $740.00) on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. The Goldman Sachs Group raised their target price on shares of United Rentals from $770.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, UBS Group upgraded shares of United Rentals from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $485.00 to $780.00 in a research note on Friday, May 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $766.23.

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.