United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Shares Sold by James Investment Research Inc.

James Investment Research Inc. trimmed its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 3.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,728 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 438 shares during the period. James Investment Research Inc.'s holdings in United Rentals were worth $7,350,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Capital World Investors raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 17.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,221,228 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,564,722,000 after buying an additional 323,636 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,587,203 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,115,142,000 after buying an additional 20,401 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 16.0% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,250,324 shares of the construction company's stock worth $880,778,000 after buying an additional 172,340 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,093,350 shares of the construction company's stock worth $770,199,000 after buying an additional 97,336 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 41.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,051,365 shares of the construction company's stock worth $740,624,000 after buying an additional 305,491 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Rentals Trading Down 1.1%

United Rentals stock traded down $8.61 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $808.20. 104,183 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 585,821. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $734.18 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $688.54. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $525.91 and a 12-month high of $896.98. The firm has a market cap of $52.53 billion, a PE ratio of 20.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.95 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.61 billion. During the same quarter last year, the business earned $9.15 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

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

Insider Activity

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Sanford C. Bernstein raised United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Morgan Stanley raised United Rentals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $702.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Truist Financial increased their price objective on United Rentals from $732.00 to $786.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. UBS Group raised United Rentals from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $485.00 to $780.00 in a research note on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price objective 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 investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, eight have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently 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.