United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Shares Sold by State of Alaska Department of Revenue

State of Alaska Department of Revenue cut its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 0.3% in the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 7,295 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 25 shares during the period. State of Alaska Department of Revenue’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $5,260,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Capital Research Global Investors increased its position in United Rentals by 39.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital Research Global Investors now owns 6,399,808 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,669,806,000 after purchasing an additional 1,799,997 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $977,443,000. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its stake in United Rentals by 58,829.4% during the fourth quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,043,051 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $598,106,000 after buying an additional 1,041,281 shares during the period. AMF Tjanstepension AB increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 59.9% in the first quarter. AMF Tjanstepension AB now owns 257,246 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $185,539,000 after acquiring an additional 96,323 shares in the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 12.7% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 638,958 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $284,061,000 after acquiring an additional 72,066 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Rentals Trading Up 1.3 %

NYSE URI opened at $654.09 on Thursday. The company has a market capitalization of $43.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.72, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.13 and a beta of 1.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a current ratio of 0.89 and a quick ratio of 0.83. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $387.01 and a 12 month high of $732.37. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $660.27 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $646.89.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $9.15 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $8.35 by $0.80. United Rentals had a net margin of 17.31% and a return on equity of 36.44%. The company had revenue of $3.49 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.44 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $7.95 EPS. The company’s revenue was up 6.1% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.71 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 8th were given a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, May 7th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.00%. United Rentals’s payout ratio is 17.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

URI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Oppenheimer reiterated a “market perform” rating on shares of United Rentals in a report on Monday, April 29th. Citigroup began coverage on United Rentals in a research note on Wednesday, June 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $745.00 target price for the company. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on United Rentals from $718.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $780.00 price objective for the company. Finally, Raymond James initiated coverage on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $750.00 target price on the stock. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Rentals presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $637.67.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In related news, COO Michael D. Durand sold 559 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $674.56, for a total transaction of $377,079.04. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 8,052 shares in the company, valued at $5,431,557.12. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In related news, COO Michael D. Durand sold 559 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 8,379 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $699.63, for a total transaction of $5,862,199.77. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer now directly owns 103,400 shares in the company, valued at approximately $72,341,742. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

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.