Prudential Financial Inc. Sells 18,334 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Prudential Financial Inc. lowered its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 26.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 50,422 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 18,334 shares during the period. Prudential Financial Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of United Rentals worth $35,519,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 14,855 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,464,000 after buying an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 445,214 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $313,627,000 after acquiring an additional 6,787 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 196.5% during the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,420 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,000,000 after acquiring an additional 941 shares in the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth about $649,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its stake in United Rentals by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 732,954 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $517,018,000 after purchasing an additional 52,037 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares of the company’s stock, 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 SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Up 1.0 %

NYSE URI opened at $653.71 on Wednesday. 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 company has a market capitalization of $42.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.87, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $694.07 and its 200-day moving average price is $756.62.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. On average, equities research analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.10%. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

URI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $705.00 to $666.00 in a report on Tuesday. Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on shares of United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Evercore ISI decreased their target price 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Rentals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $804.15.

United Rentals 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.