Vanguard Group Inc. Sells 113,777 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Vanguard Group Inc. trimmed its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 1.5% during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 7,456,826 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 113,777 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned approximately 11.20% of United Rentals worth $5,377,192,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. First Financial Corp IN bought a new position in United Rentals during the first quarter valued at about $25,000. Rise Advisors LLC bought a new position in United Rentals during the first quarter valued at about $28,000. Riverview Trust Co bought a new position in United Rentals during the first quarter valued at about $31,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc increased its stake in United Rentals by 71.4% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 48 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $28,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Finally, PFS Partners LLC acquired a new stake in United Rentals during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Rentals Trading Down 1.3 %

NYSE:URI traded down $9.81 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $718.64. 493,345 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 555,543. The company’s 50 day moving average is $660.15 and its two-hundred day moving average is $655.99. United Rentals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $387.01 and a twelve month high of $759.98. 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 company has a market capitalization of $47.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.46, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.36 and a beta of 1.71.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $9.15 earnings per share (EPS) 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 the consensus estimate of $3.44 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $7.95 EPS. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, May 8th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.91%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 7th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is 17.66%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Rentals news, COO Michael D. Durand sold 559 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $674.56, for a total transaction of $377,079.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 8,052 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,431,557.12. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 8,379 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $699.63, for a total value of $5,862,199.77. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 103,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $72,341,742. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, COO Michael D. Durand sold 559 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $674.56, for a total transaction of $377,079.04. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now 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. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

URI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price objective on United Rentals from $718.00 to $790.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. Truist Financial decreased their price objective on United Rentals from $796.00 to $785.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, July 2nd. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price objective on United Rentals from $720.00 to $750.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Raymond James initiated coverage on United Rentals in a report on Friday, June 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $750.00 price objective on the stock. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on United Rentals in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. They set a “buy” rating and a $745.00 price objective on the stock. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Rentals currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $637.67.

United Rentals 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.