United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Shares Bought by Vise Technologies Inc.

Vise Technologies Inc. grew its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 107.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,579 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 2,368 shares during the period. Vise Technologies Inc.'s holdings in United Rentals were worth $3,225,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of URI. Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted 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 buying an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $626.28, for a total transaction of $688,908.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 8,748 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,478,697.44. The trade was a 11.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction 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 company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total transaction of $499,748.88. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,355,957.06. This trade represents 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.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on URI shares. Bank of America decreased their target price on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 21st. 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 report on Wednesday, April 16th. Citigroup reduced their target price on United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Cfra Research raised United Rentals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Evercore ISI dropped their price target on United Rentals from $974.00 to $921.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, May 19th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $753.15.

United Rentals Stock Performance

URI traded up $17.26 during midday trading on Tuesday, hitting $717.36. 275,556 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 602,400. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $637.86 and its 200 day simple moving average is $704.22. The firm has a market capitalization of $46.63 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.51, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $525.91 and a 1-year high of $896.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last issued 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). The company had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.61 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $9.15 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.54%.

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.