United Rentals, Inc. $URI Stock Holdings Increased by Baird Financial Group Inc.

Baird Financial Group Inc. raised its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 7.9% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 43,954 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 3,201 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned 0.07% of United Rentals worth $49,796,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Clal Insurance Enterprises Holdings Ltd acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals in the second quarter worth $29,000. MidFirst Bank acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 2nd quarter valued at $31,000. Core Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth about $28,000. MV Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $28,000. Finally, Bell Investment Advisors Inc bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 2nd quarter worth $40,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts recently weighed in on the company. Raymond James Financial reissued an "outperform" rating and set a $1,275.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Wednesday, June 10th. Argus reaffirmed a "buy" rating and issued a $1,250.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. UBS Group lifted their price target on United Rentals from $1,300.00 to $1,350.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Citigroup upped their price target on United Rentals from $1,270.00 to $1,330.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised United Rentals from a "neutral" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $1,320.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Monday, June 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Rentals has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $1,246.19.

United Rentals Stock Up 1.7%

URI stock opened at $1,032.23 on Thursday. United Rentals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $701.59 and a twelve month high of $1,179.18. The company has a quick ratio of 0.70, a current ratio of 0.76 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38. The company has a market cap of $64.25 billion, a PE ratio of 24.79, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.79. The business's 50-day simple moving average is $1,081.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $965.34.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, July 22nd. The construction company reported $12.76 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $11.53 by $1.23. United Rentals had a return on equity of 31.72% and a net margin of 15.67%.The firm had revenue of $4.41 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.22 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $10.47 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 48.59 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, August 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 12th were paid a $1.97 dividend. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 12th. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.92%.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In related news, EVP William Grace sold 1,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,133.15, for a total value of $1,699,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,062 shares of the company's stock, valued at $6,869,155.30. This trade represents a 19.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.47% of the company's stock.

About United Rentals

United Rentals, Inc is an equipment rental company serving construction, industrial, commercial, government and residential customers. The company provides access to a broad range of equipment without requiring customers to purchase and maintain their own fleets.

Its rental offerings include aerial work platforms, earthmoving equipment, material-handling equipment, trucks and trailers, power-generation and climate-control equipment, pumps, tools, trench-safety products and traffic-control equipment.

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