United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Shares Sold by Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd

Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd cut its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 10.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 502 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 59 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $288,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals during the third quarter worth about $25,000. AdvisorNet Financial Inc grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 71.4% during the fourth quarter. AdvisorNet Financial Inc now owns 48 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $28,000 after buying an additional 20 shares during the last quarter. NBC Securities Inc. purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals during the third quarter worth about $29,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 1,525.0% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 65 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $37,000 after buying an additional 61 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Annis Gardner Whiting Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals during the third quarter worth about $40,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $655.62, for a total value of $508,105.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,323 shares in the company, valued at $4,145,485.26. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on United Rentals from $575.00 to $740.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Barclays lifted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $325.00 to $400.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. The Goldman Sachs Group lifted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $718.00 to $790.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. Finally, BNP Paribas restated an “underperform” rating and set a $485.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $589.21.

United Rentals Stock Up 1.8 %

Shares of NYSE URI opened at $667.00 on Thursday. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $325.15 and a 52-week high of $732.37. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $679.77 and a 200-day moving average of $576.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $44.80 billion, a PE ratio of 18.53, a P/E/G ratio of 2.29 and a beta of 1.84. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $9.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $8.35 by $0.80. The firm had revenue of $3.49 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.44 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 16.91% and a return on equity of 36.80%. The firm’s revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $7.95 EPS. On average, analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.13 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals announced that its Board of Directors has approved a stock buyback program on Wednesday, January 24th that permits the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization permits the construction company to buy up to 3.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are usually an indication that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 8th will be paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.98%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.44%.

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.