Callahan Advisors LLC Has $7.09 Million Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Callahan Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 18.2% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 11,320 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,745 shares during the period. Callahan Advisors LLC's holdings in United Rentals were worth $7,094,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC bought a new position in United Rentals during the first quarter worth about $26,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its stake 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 purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Grove Bank & Trust acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 1st quarter valued at about $40,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $626.28, for a total value of $688,908.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president owned 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 the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total value of $499,748.88. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,921 shares in the company, 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. 0.51% of the stock is owned by insiders.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.6%

URI traded down $4.54 on Monday, hitting $809.74. 556,236 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 587,462. The stock's fifty day moving average is $722.31 and its 200-day moving average is $685.55. The company has a market cap of $52.63 billion, a PE ratio of 20.97, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.69. 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 12 month low of $525.91 and a 12 month high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $8.92 by ($0.06). The business had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.15 EPS. Equities research 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 was paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th were given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.88%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have issued reports on URI shares. Redburn Atlantic downgraded United Rentals from a "buy" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $760.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Friday, June 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on United Rentals from $920.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday. Morgan Stanley raised United Rentals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $702.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. 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. Finally, Cfra Research raised United Rentals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, eight have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, United Rentals currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average 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.