Vontobel Holding Ltd. Sells 974 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Vontobel Holding Ltd. trimmed its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 19.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,945 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 974 shares during the period. Vontobel Holding Ltd.'s holdings in United Rentals were worth $2,779,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the business. Avestar Capital LLC increased its holdings in United Rentals by 9.4% during the 4th quarter. Avestar Capital LLC now owns 373 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $263,000 after purchasing an additional 32 shares in the last quarter. Hemington Wealth Management increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 19.8% in the 4th quarter. Hemington Wealth Management now owns 97 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $68,000 after buying an additional 16 shares during the period. Values First Advisors Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at $144,000. Davidson Capital Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 3.4% in the 4th quarter. Davidson Capital Management Inc. now owns 4,648 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $3,274,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. Finally, Certuity LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at $229,000. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

URI has been the subject of several research reports. Robert W. Baird raised United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "neutral" rating and set a $658.00 target price for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Baird R W raised United Rentals from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Argus lifted their target price on United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Evercore ISI decreased their price objective on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Finally, Bank of America lifted their price objective on United Rentals from $800.00 to $910.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $829.00.

United Rentals Stock Down 1.7 %

Shares of United Rentals stock traded down $11.93 during trading on Wednesday, reaching $708.42. The stock had a trading volume of 637,402 shares, compared to its average volume of 660,600. The company has a market capitalization of $46.27 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.28, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.68. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $735.61 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $769.95. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $596.48 and a 52 week high of $896.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last issued 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.93 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.01%. This is a positive change from United Rentals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. United Rentals's payout ratio is 18.48%.

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.