Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 1,454 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. reduced its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 0.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 180,260 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,454 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $126,982,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of URI. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 11.7% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 9,203 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $7,492,000 after buying an additional 964 shares in the last quarter. Retireful LLC bought a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $697,000. Mizuho Securities USA LLC increased its position 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 worth $48,486,000 after purchasing an additional 54,750 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC raised its stake in United Rentals by 196.5% during the fourth 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in United Rentals by 7.6% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 732,954 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $517,018,000 after purchasing an additional 52,037 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Down 1.2 %

NYSE:URI opened at $740.69 on Friday. 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 firm has a market cap of $48.37 billion, a PE ratio of 19.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a 50-day moving average of $752.83 and a 200 day moving average of $769.57. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $596.48 and a 1-year high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced 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 return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 46.09 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently issued reports on URI. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America lifted their target price on United Rentals from $800.00 to $910.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Baird R W upgraded United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Barclays lifted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $400.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $814.08.

About United Rentals

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.