UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp Sells 290 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp decreased its position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The fund owned 5,430 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 290 shares during the quarter. UNIVEST FINANCIAL Corp’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $3,825,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. now owns 814 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $573,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. raised its stake in United Rentals by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 788 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $555,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 0.5% in the fourth quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,794 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,002,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 3.4% during the 3rd quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 450 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $364,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Klingman & Associates LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 669 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $471,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of United Rentals 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 completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,390,128. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Rentals Stock Up 1.0 %

Shares of NYSE:URI opened at $653.71 on Wednesday. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $694.07 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $756.62. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $585.27 and a 52-week high of $896.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market cap of $42.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.87, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its 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%. As a group, research analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have weighed in on URI. Morgan Stanley lowered 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Bank of America dropped their price target on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 21st. Robert W. Baird upgraded United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their target price for the company from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research report on Tuesday. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Rentals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $804.15.

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.