Virtu Financial LLC Purchases Shares of 8,202 United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Virtu Financial LLC purchased a new stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 8,202 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,703,000.

Other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth $2,351,000. Verdence Capital Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth $257,000. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 55.5% in the fourth quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 6,413 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,677,000 after purchasing an additional 2,289 shares in the last quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 46.2% in the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 99,372 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $56,982,000 after purchasing an additional 31,398 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Campbell & CO Investment Adviser LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth $779,000. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In related news, COO Michael D. Durand sold 559 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $674.56, for a total value 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 transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. In related news, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 8,379 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $699.63, for a total transaction of $5,862,199.77. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer now owns 103,400 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $72,341,742. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, COO Michael D. Durand sold 559 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 3rd. The stock was sold at an average price of $674.56, for a total transaction of $377,079.04. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly 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. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of URI stock traded down $11.62 on Friday, hitting $616.21. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 709,104 shares, compared to its average volume of 513,548. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39, a quick ratio of 0.83 and a current ratio of 0.89. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $666.16 and its 200-day moving average is $633.40. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $387.01 and a fifty-two week high of $732.37. The company has a market capitalization of $41.03 billion, a PE ratio of 16.69, a PEG ratio of 2.00 and a beta of 1.75.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 24th. The construction company reported $9.15 EPS for the quarter, beating 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 business had revenue of $3.49 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.44 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $7.95 earnings per share. United Rentals’s revenue was up 6.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.77 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 22nd. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 8th were paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Tuesday, May 7th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.66%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities analysts recently weighed in on URI shares. Oppenheimer restated a “market perform” rating on shares of United Rentals in a report on Monday, April 29th. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $718.00 to $790.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, April 16th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. started coverage on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, June 7th. They set an “overweight” rating and a $780.00 target price on the stock. Evercore ISI boosted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $575.00 to $740.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 20th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $720.00 to $750.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 26th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $612.73.

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.