Focus Partners Wealth Raises Stock Position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Focus Partners Wealth grew its position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 2.6% in the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 44,207 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,126 shares during the period. Focus Partners Wealth’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $31,214,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Eisler Capital Management Ltd. acquired a new stake in United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth $10,452,000. Ethic Inc. increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 8.3% during the 4th quarter. Ethic Inc. now owns 6,242 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,397,000 after purchasing an additional 476 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co raised its holdings in United Rentals by 2.0% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Trust Co now owns 1,231 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $867,000 after buying an additional 24 shares during the period. Fred Alger Management LLC lifted its position in United Rentals by 185.8% in the fourth quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 7,210 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,079,000 after buying an additional 4,687 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Deutsche Bank AG boosted its stake in United Rentals by 28.1% during the fourth quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 224,316 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $158,017,000 after buying an additional 49,196 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Price Performance

URI stock opened at $672.53 on Friday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $616.74 and a 200 day moving average price of $713.68. 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 stock has a market cap of $43.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.36, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $525.91 and a fifty-two week high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.92 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. The company had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $9.15 EPS. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be given a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.06%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.54%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Rentals news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $626.28, for a total value of $688,908.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,478,697.44. The trade was a 11.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

URI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Morgan Stanley raised shares of United Rentals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $702.00 price objective for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Baird R W upgraded United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on United Rentals from $535.00 to $571.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup cut their price target 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. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $725.69.

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.