United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Shares Sold by Swiss National Bank

Swiss National Bank reduced its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 186,900 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 10,700 shares during the period. Swiss National Bank owned 0.29% of United Rentals worth $131,660,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Great Lakes Advisors LLC boosted its position in United Rentals by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC now owns 312 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $220,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the last quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 15.8% during the fourth quarter. Sequoia Financial Advisors LLC now owns 1,559 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,098,000 after purchasing an additional 213 shares during the last quarter. Summit X LLC grew its position in shares of United Rentals by 19.0% in the fourth quarter. Summit X LLC now owns 414 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $292,000 after purchasing an additional 66 shares during the period. Moors & Cabot Inc. increased its stake in United Rentals by 2.1% in the fourth quarter. Moors & Cabot Inc. now owns 17,944 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $12,641,000 after purchasing an additional 364 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Inspire Advisors LLC increased its stake in United Rentals by 25.4% in the fourth quarter. Inspire Advisors LLC now owns 1,211 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $853,000 after purchasing an additional 245 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

URI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Argus lifted their price target on United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $829.00.

United Rentals Trading Down 2.7 %

URI opened at $593.07 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $705.09 and its 200-day moving average is $762.28. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $585.27 and a 52-week high of $896.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.73 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.31, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released 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 return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. Analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.21%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is 18.48%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total transaction of $701,910.00. Following 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.