United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Shares Sold by Impax Asset Management Group plc

Impax Asset Management Group plc lowered its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 7.9% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 5,595 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 478 shares during the quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $3,941,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of URI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 15.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 787,877 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $637,968,000 after acquiring an additional 105,287 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 3.7% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,416,568 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,956,768,000 after acquiring an additional 85,325 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 10.5% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 704,145 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $570,167,000 after acquiring an additional 66,957 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 6.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 996,014 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $862,110,000 after acquiring an additional 57,002 shares during the period. Finally, Mizuho Securities USA LLC lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 1,067.5% in the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 59,879 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $48,486,000 after acquiring an additional 54,750 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have commented on URI. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup dropped their price target on United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Argus raised 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. One investment 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, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $829.00.

United Rentals Stock Performance

NYSE URI opened at $629.17 on Tuesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.68. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $596.48 and a 1-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. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $728.61 and its 200-day simple moving average is $770.29.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 EPS 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%. Equities analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current 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 1.14%. This is an increase 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 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.