Xponance Inc. Raises Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Xponance Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 11.0% in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 12,394 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 1,233 shares during the quarter. Xponance Inc.'s holdings in United Rentals were worth $7,767,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Capital World Investors lifted its position 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 worth $1,564,722,000 after buying an additional 323,636 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,587,203 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,115,142,000 after buying an additional 20,401 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,250,324 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $880,778,000 after buying an additional 172,340 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,093,350 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $770,199,000 after buying an additional 97,336 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 41.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,051,365 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $740,624,000 after buying an additional 305,491 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of United Rentals stock traded down $9.39 on Tuesday, reaching $799.28. 776,488 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 588,215. The company has a quick ratio of 0.79, a current ratio of 0.85 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.31. United Rentals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $525.91 and a twelve month high of $896.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $51.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.70, a PEG ratio of 1.99 and a beta of 1.69. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $722.31 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $685.55.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $8.92 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a return on equity of 33.11% and a net margin of 16.38%. The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $9.15 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th were issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.90%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals's payout ratio is presently 18.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the business'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 transaction of $499,748.88. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,355,957.06. The trade was a 26.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the business'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 sale, the executive vice president owned 8,748 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,478,697.44. The trade was a 11.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.51% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on URI shares. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and set a $810.00 price target (up previously from $740.00) on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Bank of America cut their price target on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on United Rentals from $920.00 to $950.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 10th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their target price on United Rentals from $770.00 to $850.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their target price 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. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating, eight have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $768.54.

About United Rentals

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.