11,268 Shares in United Rentals, Inc. $URI Purchased by SFE Investment Counsel

SFE Investment Counsel bought a new position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm bought 11,268 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,765,000. United Rentals comprises approximately 1.7% of SFE Investment Counsel’s portfolio, making the stock its 18th largest position.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Capital World Investors lifted its position in United Rentals by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,708,877 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,192,357,000 after purchasing an additional 30,263 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,343,981 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,087,711,000 after purchasing an additional 28,895 shares during the period. Norges Bank bought a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth about $978,017,000. Bank of America Corp DE raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 14.7% in the 1st quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 806,380 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $587,496,000 after purchasing an additional 103,371 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Boston Partners increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Boston Partners now owns 774,347 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $631,459,000 after buying an additional 29,675 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In related news, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,133.15, for a total value of $1,699,725.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,062 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,869,155.30. This trade represents a 19.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

URI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating and set a $1,350.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, July 24th. Argus reissued a “buy” rating and set a $1,250.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Tuesday, August 4th. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of United Rentals from $1,195.00 to $1,300.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on United Rentals from $1,100.00 to $1,235.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price target on shares of United Rentals from $1,270.00 to $1,330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have given a Buy rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,246.19.

United Rentals Trading Up 3.1%

Shares of URI stock opened at $1,155.25 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $71.90 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.74, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.80. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $701.59 and a 1 year high of $1,179.18. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $1,095.03 and its 200 day simple moving average is $940.41. The company has a current ratio of 0.76, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The construction company reported $12.76 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $11.53 by $1.23. United Rentals had a net margin of 15.67% and a return on equity of 31.72%. The company had revenue of $4.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.22 billion. During the same period last year, the business posted $10.47 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 11.8% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 48.55 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be paid a $1.97 dividend. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 12th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.92%.

United Rentals Profile

United Rentals, Inc (NYSE: URI) is a leading equipment rental company headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The firm provides rental solutions and related services to construction, industrial, commercial, and municipal customers. Its business model centers on providing access to a broad fleet of equipment on a short-term or long-term basis, enabling customers to avoid the capital expenditure of ownership and to scale equipment use to match project needs.

The company’s product and service offerings span general construction equipment and a range of specialty categories, including aerial work platforms, earthmoving and excavation machines, material handling equipment, pumps, power and HVAC systems, trench and shoring solutions, and tools.