Sterling Capital Management LLC Acquires 718 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Sterling Capital Management LLC boosted its position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 5.3% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,360 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 718 shares during the quarter. Sterling Capital Management LLC's holdings in United Rentals were worth $10,116,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. raised its stake in United Rentals by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. now owns 814 shares of the construction company's stock worth $573,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Valmark Advisers Inc. raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 788 shares of the construction company's stock worth $555,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,794 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,002,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC boosted its position in United Rentals by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 669 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $471,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division grew its stake in United Rentals by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 368 shares of the construction company's stock worth $259,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company's stock.

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United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of URI traded down $13.16 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $584.02. 263,851 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 589,104. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $638.42 and a 200-day simple moving average of $737.67. 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 company has a market capitalization of $38.16 billion, a PE ratio of 15.07, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.72. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $525.91 and a one year high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This is an increase from United Rentals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.23%. United Rentals's payout ratio is presently 18.48%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of research firms recently weighed in on URI. Baird R W raised shares of United Rentals from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Robert W. Baird raised United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $658.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. UBS Group downgraded United Rentals from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and cut their target price for the company from $910.00 to $485.00 in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target on United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $729.79.

United Rentals Company 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.