United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Shares Bought by Blair William & Co. IL

Blair William & Co. IL increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 18.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 8,462 shares of the construction company's stock after purchasing an additional 1,315 shares during the period. Blair William & Co. IL's holdings in United Rentals were worth $5,961,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in URI. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 6.3% during the 4th quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 14,855 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $10,464,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. increased its holdings in 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 valued at $313,627,000 after buying an additional 6,787 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC increased its holdings in United Rentals by 196.5% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,420 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,000,000 after buying 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 worth about $649,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in shares of United Rentals by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 732,954 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $517,018,000 after acquiring an additional 52,037 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of URI stock traded down $45.49 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $600.68. The company had a trading volume of 431,203 shares, compared to its average volume of 691,119. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $585.27 and a 12-month high of $896.98. The company has a market capitalization of $39.24 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.50, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.98. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $678.19 and a 200-day moving average of $753.23.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) 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%. On average, equities analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.19%. This is a positive change from United Rentals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. United Rentals's payout ratio is presently 18.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on URI shares. Robert W. Baird upgraded United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $658.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of 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 research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Rentals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $804.15.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

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.