Assenagon Asset Management S.A. Boosts Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Assenagon Asset Management S.A. grew its position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 74.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 18,156 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 7,748 shares during the quarter. Assenagon Asset Management S.A.'s holdings in United Rentals were worth $12,790,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. grew its stake in United Rentals by 15.4% during the 2nd quarter. Meiji Yasuda Asset Management Co Ltd. now owns 1,089 shares of the construction company's stock worth $704,000 after purchasing an additional 145 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the second quarter worth approximately $207,000. Brighton Jones LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals in the second quarter worth approximately $271,000. Ieq Capital LLC grew its holdings in United Rentals by 7.3% during the 2nd quarter. Ieq Capital LLC now owns 3,573 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,311,000 after acquiring an additional 242 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 3.0% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 4,038 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $2,612,000 after purchasing an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Rentals Stock Performance

URI traded up $13.39 during trading on Friday, hitting $770.81. The stock had a trading volume of 897,099 shares, compared to its average volume of 466,512. United Rentals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $553.22 and a twelve month high of $896.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.58 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.13, a PEG ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.82. The company's 50-day moving average price is $778.79 and its 200 day moving average price is $761.58.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $11.80 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $12.49 by ($0.69). The business had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $4.01 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 17.12% and a return on equity of 34.73%. United Rentals's revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $11.73 EPS. On average, equities research analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.46 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were paid a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $6.52 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.85%. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 17.03%.

Insider Activity

In other news, SVP Anthony S. Leopold sold 900 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $823.24, for a total value of $740,916.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president now owns 2,044 shares in the company, valued at $1,682,702.56. This trade represents a 30.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.49% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on URI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on United Rentals from $780.00 to $940.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research note on Monday, September 23rd. Bank of America boosted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $800.00 to $910.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, October 24th. Baird R W raised shares of United Rentals from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $658.00 price objective on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $805.08.

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.