Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc. Decreases Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc. lowered its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 2.7% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 73,941 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 2,089 shares during the period. United Rentals makes up approximately 4.6% of Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc.'s portfolio, making the stock its 4th biggest holding. Edgemoor Investment Advisors Inc. owned about 0.11% of United Rentals worth $52,088,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth $42,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its position in United Rentals by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,767 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,245,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its position in United Rentals by 2.6% during the 4th quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,440 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Cibc World Markets Corp increased its position in United Rentals by 15.4% during the 4th quarter. Cibc World Markets Corp now owns 10,405 shares of the construction company's stock worth $7,330,000 after purchasing an additional 1,390 shares during the period. Finally, SlateStone Wealth LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 5.2% in the 4th quarter. SlateStone Wealth LLC now owns 5,749 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $4,050,000 after buying an additional 286 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company's stock.

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Insiders Place Their Bets

In other 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 transaction of $701,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at $4,390,128. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

URI has been the subject of a number of research reports. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an "equal weight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird raised United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $658.00 price target for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Baird R W raised shares of United Rentals from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Citigroup cut their target price 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $815.67.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.3 %

United Rentals stock traded down $2.06 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $628.63. The company's stock had a trading volume of 766,930 shares, compared to its average volume of 547,493. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $585.27 and a 52-week high of $896.98. The company has a market cap of $41.05 billion, a PE ratio of 16.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The firm's 50 day moving average is $697.25 and its 200 day moving average is $757.17.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share 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, analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business 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. This is a positive change 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 of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. United Rentals's payout ratio is 18.48%.

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.