HighPoint Advisor Group LLC Increases Stock Position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

HighPoint Advisor Group LLC increased its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 42.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 1,180 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 353 shares during the period. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $889,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in URI. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 241.7% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Trading Up 0.7 %

NYSE:URI opened at $631.17 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $680.92 and a 200 day simple moving average of $753.98. 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 12-month low of $585.27 and a 12-month high of $896.98.

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%. Equities research analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a $1.79 dividend. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.13%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is 18.48%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,390,128. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on URI. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America reduced their price target on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $956.00 price objective (down previously from $963.00) on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five 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 $804.15.

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.