United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Shares Sold by Bessemer Group Inc.

Bessemer Group Inc. lessened its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 1.4% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 234,709 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 3,298 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. owned approximately 0.36% of United Rentals worth $165,339,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at $25,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at about $26,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its position in shares of United Rentals by 241.7% during the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the construction company's stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Rentals news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total transaction of $701,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,390,128. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

Remove Ads

United Rentals Stock Performance

NYSE:URI traded up $5.39 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $588.29. The stock had a trading volume of 572,284 shares, compared to its average volume of 589,265. The stock has a market cap of $38.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.18, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.72. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $525.91 and a 12-month high of $896.98. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $644.29 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $740.17. 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 - Get Free Report) 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 net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. On average, equities analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.22%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This is an increase from United Rentals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals's payout ratio is 18.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have commented on URI. Baird R W upgraded shares of United Rentals from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Robert W. Baird raised United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $658.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Citigroup decreased their price target on United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. UBS Group downgraded shares of United Rentals from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $910.00 to $485.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of United Rentals from $1,000.00 to $750.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $734.29.

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.