Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC Buys New Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Sherbrooke Park Advisers LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 337 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $237,000.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of URI. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth $695,716,000. Leigh Baldwin & CO. LLC purchased a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at about $330,989,000. Capital World Investors boosted its holdings in United Rentals by 17.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,221,228 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,564,722,000 after acquiring an additional 323,636 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors boosted its holdings in United Rentals by 41.0% in the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,051,365 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $740,624,000 after acquiring an additional 305,491 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Marshall Wace LLP grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 105.6% during the fourth quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 546,165 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $384,740,000 after acquiring an additional 280,502 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total transaction of $499,748.88. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,355,957.06. This represents a 26.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the firm’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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,390,128. The trade was a 13.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 2,908 shares of company stock worth $1,890,567. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts recently commented on URI shares. Cfra Research raised shares of United Rentals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price target on shares of United Rentals from $1,000.00 to $750.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. UBS Group raised United Rentals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and upped their target price for the company from $485.00 to $780.00 in a research report on Friday. Morgan Stanley upgraded United Rentals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $702.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $744.31.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.2%

Shares of URI opened at $724.19 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $47.07 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.69, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $525.91 and a 52 week high of $896.98. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $629.05 and its 200-day moving average price is $709.03. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.92 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.61 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $9.15 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.99%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.54%.

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.