United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Shares Sold by Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC.

Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC. lessened its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 9.5% during the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 2,195 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 230 shares during the period. Williams Jones Wealth Management LLC.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $1,583,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in URI. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new position in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $2,351,000. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $257,000. Nomura Holdings Inc. purchased a new position in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $780,000. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. increased its stake in United Rentals by 55.5% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 6,413 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,677,000 after purchasing an additional 2,289 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in United Rentals by 46.2% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 99,372 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $56,982,000 after purchasing an additional 31,398 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 8,379 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $699.63, for a total transaction of $5,862,199.77. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $72,341,742. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In related news, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 8,379 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $699.63, for a total transaction of $5,862,199.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now owns 103,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $72,341,742. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Also, COO Michael D. Durand sold 559 shares of the firm’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 directly owns 8,052 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $5,431,557.12. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

NYSE URI traded up $27.64 during trading hours on Tuesday, hitting $735.05. The company had a trading volume of 347,895 shares, compared to its average volume of 569,443. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $387.01 and a fifty-two week high of $735.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.83, a current ratio of 0.89 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $656.68 and a 200-day simple moving average of $652.16. The firm has a market cap of $48.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.16, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.24 and a beta of 1.71.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $9.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.35 by $0.80. United Rentals had a return on equity of 36.44% and a net margin of 17.31%. The firm had revenue of $3.49 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.44 billion. During the same period last year, the company earned $7.95 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. Equities analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.76 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 8th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.89%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 7th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

URI has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. Truist Financial dropped their price target on shares of United Rentals from $796.00 to $785.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on United Rentals in a report on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $780.00 target price for the company. Citigroup assumed coverage on United Rentals in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $745.00 target price for the company. Raymond James began coverage on United Rentals in a report on Friday, June 28th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $750.00 target price for the company. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on United Rentals from $720.00 to $750.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $637.67.

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.