New England Research & Management Inc. Has $4.89 Million Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

New England Research & Management Inc. raised its position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 0.4% in the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 6,785 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 25 shares during the period. United Rentals accounts for 2.4% of New England Research & Management Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 5th biggest position. New England Research & Management Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $4,893,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new position in United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at $2,351,000. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at $257,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at $780,000. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 55.5% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 6,413 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,677,000 after buying an additional 2,289 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 46.2% during the 4th quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 99,372 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $56,982,000 after buying an additional 31,398 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several analysts have recently weighed in on URI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $780.00 price objective on the stock. Citigroup started coverage on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Wednesday. They set a “buy” rating and a $745.00 price objective on the stock. Raymond James started coverage on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday. They set an “outperform” rating and a $750.00 price objective on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus raised their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $720.00 to $750.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Finally, The Goldman Sachs Group raised their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $718.00 to $790.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eight have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $638.40.

United Rentals Price Performance

URI stock opened at $646.73 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $660.38 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $644.07. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $387.01 and a 12-month high of $732.37. The stock has a market capitalization of $43.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.52, a PEG ratio of 2.02 and a beta of 1.75. The company has a current ratio of 0.89, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $9.15 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.35 by $0.80. United Rentals had a net margin of 17.31% and a return on equity of 36.44%. The firm had revenue of $3.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $7.95 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.87 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 8th were given a $1.63 dividend. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 7th. United Rentals’s payout ratio is 17.66%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, COO Michael D. Durand sold 559 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $674.56, for a total value of $377,079.04. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 8,052 shares in the company, valued at $5,431,557.12. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other news, COO Michael D. Durand sold 559 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $674.56, for a total transaction of $377,079.04. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 8,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,431,557.12. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 8,379 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $699.63, for a total transaction of $5,862,199.77. Following the sale, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $72,341,742. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 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.