United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Shares Sold by Hennessy Advisors Inc.

Hennessy Advisors Inc. reduced its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 6.3% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 4,500 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 300 shares during the quarter. Hennessy Advisors Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $3,170,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 15.4% during the second quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 1,089 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $704,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new position in United Rentals during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $207,000. Intech Investment Management LLC increased its position in United Rentals by 44.7% during the second quarter. Intech Investment Management LLC now owns 32,660 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $21,122,000 after buying an additional 10,094 shares during the period. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new stake in United Rentals in the second quarter valued at approximately $271,000. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 7.3% in the second quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 3,573 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,311,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Rentals Trading Up 1.8 %

NYSE:URI opened at $770.81 on Friday. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $553.22 and a 1 year high of $896.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.82. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $778.79 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $760.78. The stock has a market capitalization of $50.58 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 20.13, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.69.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $11.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $12.49 by ($0.69). The company had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $4.01 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 17.12% and a return on equity of 34.73%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $11.73 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.46 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.85%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 17.03%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $780.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Monday, September 23rd. Barclays upped their target price on shares of United Rentals from $400.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Argus raised their price target on United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird raised 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. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price objective on United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $805.08.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Anthony S. Leopold sold 900 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $823.24, for a total value of $740,916.00. Following the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,044 shares in the company, valued at $1,682,702.56. The trade was a 30.57 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.49% 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.