Leuthold Group LLC Sells 559 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Leuthold Group LLC cut its position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 3.6% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 14,834 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 559 shares during the quarter. United Rentals comprises about 1.3% of Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings, making the stock its 15th largest position. Leuthold Group LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $10,450,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. raised its stake in United Rentals by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. now owns 8,327 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $5,866,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the period. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 0.4% in the fourth quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 4,787 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,372,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Prakash Investment Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $709,000. First Bank & Trust lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 6.7% during the 4th quarter. First Bank & Trust now owns 813 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $573,000 after buying an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB boosted its holdings in United Rentals by 29.0% in the 4th quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB now owns 17,027 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $11,994,000 after buying an additional 3,830 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Evercore ISI lowered 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 report on Wednesday. Barclays raised their target price on United Rentals from $400.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Argus upped their price target on United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Baird R W raised shares of United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $829.00.

United Rentals Price Performance

URI stock opened at $656.42 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $731.32 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $769.34. The stock has a market cap of $42.87 billion, a PE ratio of 16.94, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.68. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $596.48 and a one year high of $896.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. On average, analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.09%. United Rentals’s dividend 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.