Pittenger & Anderson Inc. Makes New $626,000 Investment in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Pittenger & Anderson Inc. purchased a new stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 889 shares of the construction company's stock, valued at approximately $626,000.

Other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC boosted its position in United Rentals by 4.0% during the 3rd quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 339 shares of the construction company's stock worth $274,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the period. Allen Capital Group LLC boosted its position in United Rentals by 4.2% during the 3rd quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 324 shares of the construction company's stock worth $262,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the period. First County Bank CT boosted its position in United Rentals by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. First County Bank CT now owns 422 shares of the construction company's stock worth $342,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the period. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC boosted its position in United Rentals by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 453 shares of the construction company's stock worth $367,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. boosted its position in United Rentals by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. now owns 814 shares of the construction company's stock worth $573,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Rentals Stock Down 5.5 %

URI stock traded down $38.35 during midday trading on Friday, reaching $656.42. 1,067,453 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 668,090. The company has a market cap of $42.87 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.46 and a beta of 1.68. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $731.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $769.34. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $596.48 and a 52 week high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This is a positive change from United Rentals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.09%. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

URI has been the topic of several recent research reports. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI cut 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 research report on Wednesday. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $658.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Barclays raised their price target on shares of United Rentals from $400.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Rentals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $829.00.

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.