United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Position Boosted by Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 15.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 6,371 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 839 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in United Rentals were worth $4,488,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 241.7% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the construction company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth $34,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company's stock.

United Rentals Trading Up 0.3%

Shares of URI traded up $1.84 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $698.41. The stock had a trading volume of 255,565 shares, compared to its average volume of 596,804. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $647.18 and its 200 day simple moving average is $699.03. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $525.91 and a 12-month high of $896.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market cap of $45.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.02, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.71.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.92 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. The business had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.15 EPS. The business's revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th were given a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.03%. United Rentals's payout ratio is currently 18.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

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 transaction of $688,908.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 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 the SEC website. Also, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total value of $499,748.88. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,921 shares in the company, 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. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. Citigroup dropped their price objective on United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Cfra Research raised United Rentals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on United Rentals from $770.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Morgan Stanley upgraded 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on United Rentals from $780.00 to $920.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $753.15.

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.