Scientech Research LLC Boosts Stock Position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Scientech Research LLC lifted its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 217.3% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,666 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,141 shares during the period. Scientech Research LLC's holdings in United Rentals were worth $1,174,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Scissortail Wealth Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 49,900.0% during the fourth quarter. Scissortail Wealth Management LLC now owns 500 shares of the construction company's stock worth $352,000 after purchasing an additional 499 shares during the period. Shell Asset Management Co. raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 0.3% during the fourth quarter. Shell Asset Management Co. now owns 9,936 shares of the construction company's stock worth $6,999,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $237,000. Rafferty Asset Management LLC boosted its holdings in United Rentals by 6.0% in the fourth quarter. Rafferty Asset Management LLC now owns 6,425 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $4,526,000 after acquiring an additional 366 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Raiffeisen Bank International AG bought a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,120,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company's stock.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of URI stock traded up $7.84 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $703.64. The stock had a trading volume of 192,672 shares, compared to its average volume of 600,483. The stock's fifty day simple moving average is $632.92 and its 200 day simple moving average is $708.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $45.74 billion, a PE ratio of 18.13, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $525.91 and a 12 month high of $896.98.

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

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

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 dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.02%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on URI shares. Citigroup decreased their price objective on United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. UBS Group upgraded shares of United Rentals from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and upped their price objective for the stock from $485.00 to $780.00 in a report on Friday, May 16th. Evercore ISI dropped 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 note on Monday. KeyCorp raised shares of United Rentals from a "sector weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $865.00 target price for the company in a research report on Thursday. Finally, Cfra Research upgraded United Rentals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, ten have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $765.07.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In related news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total value of $499,748.88. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,921 shares in the company, valued at $1,355,957.06. This trade represents a 26.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total transaction of $701,910.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,390,128. The trade was a 13.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last three months, insiders sold 2,908 shares of company stock worth $1,890,567. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.