United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Shares Bought by Inspire Advisors LLC

Inspire Advisors LLC lifted its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 25.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,211 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 245 shares during the period. Inspire Advisors LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $853,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Markel Group Inc. raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 14.3% during the 4th quarter. Markel Group Inc. now owns 29,650 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $20,887,000 after acquiring an additional 3,700 shares in the last quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 13.7% during the 4th quarter. Paragon Private Wealth Management LLC now owns 986 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $695,000 after acquiring an additional 119 shares in the last quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 18.8% during the 4th quarter. Daiwa Securities Group Inc. now owns 25,051 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $17,647,000 after acquiring an additional 3,968 shares in the last quarter. Simplicity Wealth LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $294,000. Finally, SLT Holdings LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $434,000. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total transaction of $701,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Citigroup lowered their price objective on United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Baird R W upgraded United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $829.00.

United Rentals Trading Down 4.5 %

NYSE:URI opened at $600.34 on Tuesday. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $585.27 and a 1 year high of $896.98. The stock has a market cap of $39.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.49, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76. The business has a fifty day moving average of $709.06 and a 200-day moving average of $764.37. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. Equities analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.19%. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.48%.

United Rentals 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.