Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI Boosts Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI grew its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 23.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 3,328 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 628 shares during the period. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd FI's holdings in United Rentals were worth $2,344,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the business. Vident Advisory LLC boosted its stake in United Rentals by 1,761.6% in the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 32,187 shares of the construction company's stock worth $22,674,000 after purchasing an additional 30,458 shares during the period. Twinbeech Capital LP purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth $69,632,000. Two Sigma Investments LP bought a new position in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth $17,496,000. Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd. boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 54.2% during the fourth quarter. Strategic Wealth Partners Ltd. now owns 515 shares of the construction company's stock worth $376,000 after acquiring an additional 181 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Scientech Research LLC grew its stake in United Rentals by 217.3% during the fourth quarter. Scientech Research LLC now owns 1,666 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,174,000 after acquiring an additional 1,141 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently commented on URI. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Truist Financial upped their price target on shares of United Rentals from $732.00 to $786.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup decreased their price target on United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on United Rentals from $780.00 to $920.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their target price on United Rentals from $535.00 to $571.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $757.38.

Insider Activity

In other United Rentals news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the company'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 now directly owns 8,748 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,478,697.44. This represents a 11.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 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 transaction, the vice president now owns 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. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.5%

Shares of NYSE URI traded down $3.36 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $700.31. 333,184 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 603,292. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a market cap of $45.52 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.07, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $636.40 and its 200-day simple moving average is $705.44. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $525.91 and a one year high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $8.92 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.61 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $9.15 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.02%. United Rentals's payout ratio is 18.54%.

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.