William E. Grace Sells 1,100 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Stock

United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,390,128. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

United Rentals Stock Up 0.6 %

United Rentals stock opened at $642.29 on Thursday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.92. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $596.48 and a fifty-two week high of $896.98. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $724.58 and its 200 day simple moving average is $769.00. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.58, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.68.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced 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 net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.11%. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.48%.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. increased its stake in United Rentals by 11.7% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 9,203 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,492,000 after acquiring an additional 964 shares during the last quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 14,855 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $10,464,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Retireful LLC bought a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 3rd quarter valued at $697,000. Mizuho Securities USA LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 1,067.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 59,879 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $48,486,000 after buying an additional 54,750 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Fiduciary Alliance LLC lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 196.5% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,420 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,000,000 after buying an additional 941 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on URI. Argus lifted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Baird R W raised United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating 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 assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $829.00.

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.