Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC Cuts Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC cut its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 18.5% during the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 879 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Clifford Swan Investment Counsel LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $568,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 3.8% during the second quarter. Ameritas Advisory Services LLC now owns 378 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $244,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Duncker Streett & Co. Inc. now owns 5,352 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,461,000 after buying an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in United Rentals by 3.7% in the 1st quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 418 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $301,000 after buying an additional 15 shares during the period. Hoylecohen LLC increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Hoylecohen LLC now owns 1,163 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $667,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares during the period. Finally, Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 4.7% during the second quarter. Commerzbank Aktiengesellschaft FI now owns 357 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $231,000 after acquiring an additional 16 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Joli L. Gross sold 360 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $690.00, for a total value of $248,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now directly owns 4,090 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,822,100. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of URI opened at $695.94 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $704.82 and a two-hundred day moving average of $683.34. The company has a quick ratio of 0.76, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.39. United Rentals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $387.01 and a twelve month high of $789.80. The company has a market cap of $46.34 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.85, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.57 and a beta of 1.68.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, July 24th. The construction company reported $10.70 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $10.48 by $0.22. United Rentals had a return on equity of 35.87% and a net margin of 17.35%. The firm had revenue of $3.77 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $3.77 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $9.88 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 6.2% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.5 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, August 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, August 14th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, August 14th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.94%. United Rentals’s payout ratio is 17.66%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on URI. Citigroup initiated coverage on United Rentals in a report on Wednesday, June 26th. They issued a “buy” rating and a $745.00 price target for the company. Raymond James started coverage on United Rentals in a research report on Friday, June 28th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $750.00 price target on the stock. Evercore ISI lifted their price objective on United Rentals from $774.00 to $795.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Monday, August 19th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of United Rentals from $790.00 to $905.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. assumed coverage on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, June 7th. They issued an “overweight” rating and a $780.00 price target for the company. Three research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $675.15.

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.