Financial Counselors Inc. Buys 3,367 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Financial Counselors Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 50.6% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 10,024 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 3,367 shares during the period. Financial Counselors Inc.'s holdings in United Rentals were worth $6,282,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 241.7% in the 4th 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 period. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 1st quarter valued at about $26,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at about $36,000. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.7%

NYSE URI traded down $5.47 during trading on Friday, reaching $814.27. The company's stock had a trading volume of 603,953 shares, compared to its average volume of 587,416. The company has a current ratio of 0.85, a quick ratio of 0.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.93 billion, a PE ratio of 21.08, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.69. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $722.31 and a 200-day moving average price of $686.12. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $525.91 and a 1-year high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.92 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 33.11% and a net margin of 16.38%. United Rentals's quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.15 earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The firm 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio is 18.54%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the firm's 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 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 8,748 shares in the company, valued at $5,478,697.44. This represents a 11.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

URI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $920.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday. UBS Group upgraded shares of United Rentals from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $485.00 to $780.00 in a report on Friday, May 16th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $770.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Citigroup reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $810.00 target price (up from $740.00) on shares of United Rentals in a report on Tuesday, June 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus 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.