Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC Raises Stock Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 12.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,160 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 789 shares during the quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC's holdings in United Rentals were worth $4,488,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in URI. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 241.7% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the construction company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 29 shares during the period. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth $36,000. Finally, NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the first quarter worth $40,000. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of URI stock opened at $737.12 on Thursday. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $525.91 and a 12 month high of $896.98. The stock has a market cap of $47.91 billion, a PE ratio of 19.09, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.81 and a beta of 1.70. 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 company's fifty day moving average price is $682.25 and its 200-day moving average price is $684.21.

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 (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $8.92 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion during 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%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $9.15 EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th were paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals's payout ratio is 18.54%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts recently weighed in on URI shares. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $535.00 to $571.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and cut their price target for the company from $705.00 to $666.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $780.00 to $920.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Cfra Research upgraded shares of United Rentals to a "strong-buy" rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $765.07.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated 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 now owns 8,748 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,478,697.44. This represents a 11.17% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total transaction of $499,748.88. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,921 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,355,957.06. This represents a 26.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.

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