United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Shares Sold by HighTower Advisors LLC

HighTower Advisors LLC trimmed its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 1.5% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 60,282 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 944 shares during the quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC owned approximately 0.09% of United Rentals worth $37,779,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in URI. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in United Rentals by 0.4% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 7,422,036 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $4,651,390,000 after purchasing an additional 29,501 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors increased its stake in United Rentals by 17.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,221,228 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,564,722,000 after purchasing an additional 323,636 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in United Rentals by 98.1% in the first quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 1,093,805 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $685,488,000 after purchasing an additional 541,579 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its stake in United Rentals by 41.0% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,051,365 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $740,624,000 after purchasing an additional 305,491 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in United Rentals by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 914,014 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $643,896,000 after purchasing an additional 11,529 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE URI opened at $922.73 on Friday. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $525.91 and a 1-year high of $933.32. The business has a 50-day moving average of $797.45 and a 200-day moving average of $707.50. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34, a current ratio of 0.86 and a quick ratio of 0.80. The company has a market capitalization of $59.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 23.86, a PEG ratio of 2.15 and a beta of 1.72.

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

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed 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. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 13th. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.52%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on the company. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on United Rentals from $974.00 to $921.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on United Rentals from $535.00 to $571.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on United Rentals from $920.00 to $950.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. Cfra Research upgraded United Rentals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Bank of America upped their price target on United Rentals from $895.00 to $900.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Rentals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $834.64.

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.

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