Plato Investment Management Ltd Makes New $1.86 Million Investment in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Plato Investment Management Ltd bought a new stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) during the second quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The firm bought 1,651 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,859,000.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of URI. Bell Investment Advisors Inc acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 2nd quarter worth $40,000. AMG National Trust Bank bought a new position in United Rentals in the second quarter valued at about $2,142,000. Roman Butler Fullerton & Co. acquired a new position in United Rentals during the second quarter worth about $1,759,000. Simplicity Wealth LLC bought a new position in shares of United Rentals in the second quarter worth about $403,000. Finally, Wealth Effects LLC bought a new position in shares of United Rentals in the second quarter worth about $3,335,000. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Price Performance

URI stock opened at $1,166.11 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average price of $1,096.63 and a 200-day moving average price of $942.44. The company has a market capitalization of $72.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 28.00, a PEG ratio of 1.49 and a beta of 1.80. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $701.59 and a 52-week high of $1,179.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.70 and a current ratio of 0.76.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, July 21st. The construction company reported $12.76 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.53 by $1.23. The company had revenue of $4.41 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.22 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 15.67% and a return on equity of 31.72%. United Rentals’s revenue was up 11.8% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $10.47 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 48.55 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, August 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 12th will be given a dividend of $1.97 per share. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, August 12th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.92%.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In related news, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,500 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, July 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $1,133.15, for a total value of $1,699,725.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,062 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $6,869,155.30. The trade was a 19.84% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

URI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of United Rentals from a “hold (c+)” rating to a “buy (b-)” rating in a research report on Thursday, July 23rd. Zacks Research raised shares of United Rentals from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Monday, July 27th. Argus reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $1,250.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a report on Tuesday, August 4th. Citigroup increased their price target on United Rentals from $1,270.00 to $1,330.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, July 24th. Finally, BNP Paribas Exane raised United Rentals from a “neutral” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $1,320.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Monday, June 29th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, sixteen have assigned a Buy rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $1,246.19.

United Rentals Company Profile

United Rentals, Inc (NYSE: URI) is a leading equipment rental company headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The firm provides rental solutions and related services to construction, industrial, commercial, and municipal customers. Its business model centers on providing access to a broad fleet of equipment on a short-term or long-term basis, enabling customers to avoid the capital expenditure of ownership and to scale equipment use to match project needs.

The company’s product and service offerings span general construction equipment and a range of specialty categories, including aerial work platforms, earthmoving and excavation machines, material handling equipment, pumps, power and HVAC systems, trench and shoring solutions, and tools.