United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Shares Sold by Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC

Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC lowered its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 5.0% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 38,977 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 2,045 shares during the quarter. Brandywine Global Investment Management LLC owned 0.06% of United Rentals worth $27,457,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Physician Wealth Advisors Inc. bought a new position in United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth approximately $111,000. Allstate Corp acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter valued at about $1,377,000. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. boosted its stake in United Rentals by 92.9% in the 4th quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. now owns 81 shares of the construction company's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares in the last quarter. Alerus Financial NA acquired a new position in United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $2,685,000. Finally, Premier Fund Managers Ltd lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 10.2% during the fourth quarter. Premier Fund Managers Ltd now owns 26,840 shares of the construction company's stock worth $18,935,000 after buying an additional 2,490 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company's stock.

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 value of $701,910.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares of the company's stock, valued at $4,390,128. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

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United Rentals Trading Down 7.2 %

Shares of United Rentals stock traded down $46.62 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $599.56. The stock had a trading volume of 490,429 shares, compared to its average volume of 567,915. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $678.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $753.23. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm has a market cap of $39.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $585.27 and a 12-month high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last announced 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 net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. Sell-side analysts forecast 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 given a $1.79 dividend. This is an increase from United Rentals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. United Rentals's payout ratio is currently 18.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several analysts have weighed in on the company. Citigroup dropped their price target on United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and cut their price objective for the stock from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Evercore ISI lowered their target price on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $804.15.

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.