Quantessence Capital LLC Buys New Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Quantessence Capital LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 512 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $361,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Steel Grove Capital Advisors LLC acquired a new position in United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth about $282,000. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 5.7% in the fourth quarter. OneDigital Investment Advisors LLC now owns 687 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $484,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 5.2% in the fourth quarter. TD Waterhouse Canada Inc. now owns 4,565 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,213,000 after purchasing an additional 225 shares in the last quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC increased its stake in United Rentals by 40.2% during the 4th quarter. Tower Research Capital LLC TRC now owns 5,017 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,534,000 after buying an additional 1,439 shares during the period. Finally, Landing Point Financial Group LLC acquired a new stake in United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $719,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of URI opened at $573.94 on Wednesday. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $622.56 and its 200-day simple moving average is $730.18. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $525.91 and a 12-month high of $896.98. The firm has a market cap of $37.50 billion, a PE ratio of 14.81, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates 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, equities analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This is an increase from United Rentals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.25%. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have commented on URI shares. 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. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. 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. UBS Group downgraded shares of United Rentals from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $910.00 to $485.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $729.79.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total transaction of $701,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at $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 Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

About United Rentals

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.

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