Axa S.A. Lowers Position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Axa S.A. decreased its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 59.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 8,204 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 12,068 shares during the quarter. Axa S.A.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $5,779,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in URI. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its holdings in United Rentals by 241.7% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management acquired a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other United Rentals news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $626.28, for a total transaction of $688,908.00. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,748 shares in the company, valued at $5,478,697.44. This represents a 11.17 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of URI stock opened at $651.92 on Wednesday. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $525.91 and a one year high of $896.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $614.01 and its 200-day moving average price is $717.28. The firm has a market cap of $42.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.92 by ($0.06). The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.61 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.15 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.10%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.54%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Morgan Stanley upgraded United Rentals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $702.00 target price on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of United Rentals from $1,000.00 to $750.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, UBS Group lowered United Rentals from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $910.00 to $485.00 in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Two 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 stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $725.69.

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.