Nisa Investment Advisors LLC Reduces Stock Position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Nisa Investment Advisors LLC reduced its position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 8.9% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 19,099 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 1,861 shares during the quarter. Nisa Investment Advisors LLC's holdings in United Rentals were worth $11,969,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Erste Asset Management GmbH raised 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 acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Forum Financial Management LP raised its stake in United Rentals by 1.9% during the fourth 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 period. Centaurus Financial Inc. increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Centaurus Financial Inc. now owns 999 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $704,000 after acquiring an additional 17 shares during the last quarter. HBK Sorce Advisory LLC raised its stake 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 valued at $307,000 after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. Finally, Cidel Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 6.2% in the 1st quarter. Cidel Asset Management Inc. now owns 342 shares of the construction company's stock worth $214,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.6%

URI stock traded down $4.54 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $809.74. 556,227 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 587,461. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a current ratio of 0.85. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $525.91 and a 1-year high of $896.98. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $722.31 and its 200 day simple moving average is $685.55. The company has a market cap of $52.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.97, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.99 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 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 business had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.15 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced 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 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.54%.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In related news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the firm'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 owned 8,748 shares in the company, valued at $5,478,697.44. This trade represents a 11.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total value of $499,748.88. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,355,957.06. This trade represents a 26.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on the company. Morgan Stanley raised United Rentals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $702.00 target price for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Bank of America dropped their target price on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. The Goldman Sachs Group raised 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. UBS Group raised United Rentals from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $485.00 to $780.00 in a research report on Friday, May 16th. Finally, Redburn Atlantic lowered United Rentals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $760.00 target price on the stock. in a research report on Friday, June 13th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $768.54.

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.