United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Shares Bought by First Trust Advisors LP

First Trust Advisors LP boosted its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 17.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 57,610 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 8,512 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP owned 0.09% of United Rentals worth $40,583,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth about $25,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its stake in United Rentals by 241.7% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the construction company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management purchased a new stake in United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at about $33,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

URI has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. 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. Citigroup reduced their target price on United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. UBS Group lowered United Rentals from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $910.00 to $485.00 in a research note on Monday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on United Rentals from $1,000.00 to $750.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded United Rentals from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $725.69.

United Rentals Stock Up 0.2 %

Shares of United Rentals stock traded up $1.46 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $631.64. 570,452 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 589,611. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. United Rentals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $525.91 and a twelve month high of $896.98. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $612.54 and a 200-day simple moving average of $723.24. The company has a market cap of $41.06 billion, a PE ratio of 16.30, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.72.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 earnings per share (EPS) 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 firm had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $9.15 earnings per share. The business's revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.13%. United Rentals's payout ratio is currently 18.54%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

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.