Bridges Investment Management Inc. Lowers Stock Position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Bridges Investment Management Inc. lessened its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 1.1% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 26,841 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 304 shares during the quarter. Bridges Investment Management Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $18,908,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in URI. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. grew its position in United Rentals by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 14,855 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,464,000 after acquiring an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Retireful LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 3rd quarter worth about $697,000. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 1,067.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 59,879 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $48,486,000 after purchasing an additional 54,750 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 196.5% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,420 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,000,000 after purchasing an additional 941 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in United Rentals by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 732,954 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $517,018,000 after buying an additional 52,037 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of URI stock opened at $642.49 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.98. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $596.48 and a fifty-two week high of $896.98. The firm has a market cap of $41.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.58, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.68. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $721.43 and its 200-day moving average price is $768.19.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate 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. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date was 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 yield of 1.11%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Argus lifted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Baird R W upgraded United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 target price for the company 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 company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $829.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

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.