Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd Sells 2,250 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Key Points

• Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd has decreased its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. by 74.4%, now owning 775 shares valued at approximately $486,000.
• Multiple hedge funds increased their stakes in United Rentals, with notable increases from Meeder Asset Management (241.7%) and TruNorth Capital Management (1,266.7%) in the last quarter.
• United Rentals reported quarterly earnings of $10.47 EPS, slightly missing analysts' expectations, but achieved a 4.5% increase in revenue year-over-year.

Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd reduced its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 74.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 775 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 2,250 shares during the quarter. Y Intercept Hong Kong Ltd's holdings in United Rentals were worth $486,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Fourth Dimension Wealth LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 1st quarter worth about $26,000. TruNorth Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of United Rentals by 1,266.7% in the 1st quarter. TruNorth Capital Management LLC now owns 41 shares of the construction company's stock worth $26,000 after buying an additional 38 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its position in United Rentals by 241.7% during 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 last quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. grew its position in United Rentals by 69.0% during the 1st quarter. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. now owns 49 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Grove Bank & Trust purchased a new stake in United Rentals during the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently commented on URI. KeyCorp increased their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $865.00 to $960.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, July 25th. Barclays increased their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $565.00 to $620.00 and gave the company an "underweight" rating in a research report on Monday, July 21st. Evercore ISI cut their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $974.00 to $921.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, May 19th. Citigroup restated a "buy" rating and set a $810.00 target price (up previously from $740.00) on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Tuesday, June 24th. Finally, UBS Group upped their target price on shares of United Rentals from $780.00 to $835.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Thursday, July 24th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $830.71.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.9%

Shares of URI stock traded down $7.77 on Thursday, hitting $872.65. The stock had a trading volume of 93,986 shares, compared to its average volume of 663,724. The company has a quick ratio of 0.80, a current ratio of 0.86 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.34. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $758.38 and a 200 day moving average price of $698.40. The company has a market cap of $56.15 billion, a PE ratio of 22.56, a P/E/G ratio of 2.04 and a beta of 1.69. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $525.91 and a one year high of $903.60.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 23rd. The construction company reported $10.47 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $10.54 by ($0.07). The firm had revenue of $3.94 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.90 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 16.11% and a return on equity of 32.01%. The business's revenue was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $10.70 earnings per share. Research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, August 13th will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 13th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.52%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Rentals news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated 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 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 SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

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.