Franklin Resources Inc. Has $770.20 Million Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 9.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 1,093,350 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 97,336 shares during the quarter. Franklin Resources Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $770,199,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its holdings 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 purchasing an additional 877 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its position 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 buying an additional 6,787 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC grew 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 worth $1,000,000 after purchasing an additional 941 shares in the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at $649,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its holdings in shares of 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. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently weighed in on URI. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $956.00 target price (down from $963.00) on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on shares of United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Baird R W upgraded shares of United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $804.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Rentals news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

United Rentals Stock Down 2.9 %

Shares of NYSE URI opened at $627.10 on Monday. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $686.97 and its 200-day simple moving average is $755.28. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $585.27 and a 52-week high of $896.98. The firm has a market cap of $40.97 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.18, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share (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%. Equities analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a $1.79 dividend. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. United Rentals’s payout ratio is currently 18.48%.

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.