1,110 Shares in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Bought by Locust Wood Capital Advisers LLC

Key Points

• Locust Wood Capital Advisers LLC acquired a new stake in United Rentals, purchasing 1,110 shares valued at approximately $696,000 during the 1st quarter.
• Other institutional investors also increased their stakes, with Elevation Point Wealth Partners LLC growing its holdings by 32.9% during the same period.
• United Rentals reported earnings of $10.47 per share for the last quarter, missing analysts' expectations, and announced a quarterly dividend of $1.79.

Locust Wood Capital Advisers LLC acquired a new position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm acquired 1,110 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $696,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. TruNorth Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in United Rentals by 1,266.7% during the first quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 41 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the period. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. increased its holdings in United Rentals by 69.0% in the 1st quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 49 shares of the construction company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Grove Bank & Trust purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. bought a new position in shares of United Rentals in the first quarter worth about $40,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on URI shares. UBS Group raised their target price on shares of United Rentals from $780.00 to $835.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. Cfra Research upgraded shares of United Rentals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on United Rentals from $920.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 10th. KeyCorp increased their price objective on United Rentals from $865.00 to $960.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, July 25th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group upped their target price on United Rentals from $770.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $830.71.

United Rentals Stock Up 0.5%

Shares of URI stock traded up $4.38 during trading hours on Friday, reaching $858.99. 273,017 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 666,507. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $525.91 and a fifty-two week high of $903.60. The stock's 50 day moving average is $780.39 and its 200-day moving average is $703.43. The company has a current ratio of 0.86, a quick ratio of 0.80 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The company has a market cap of $55.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.21, a P/E/G ratio of 1.98 and a beta of 1.72.

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

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 13th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.52%.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In other news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of United Rentals 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 completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,355,957.06. The trade was a 26.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

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.