Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Lowers Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lowered its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 4.5% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 10,626 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the period. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $7,485,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the company. Howard Capital Management Inc. raised its position in United Rentals by 4.6% during the fourth quarter. Howard Capital Management Inc. now owns 412 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $290,000 after acquiring an additional 18 shares in the last quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 2.5% during the 4th quarter. WESPAC Advisors LLC now owns 1,186 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $835,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Fisher Funds Management LTD purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $14,481,000. Hudson Edge Investment Partners Inc. lifted its stake in shares of 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 purchasing an additional 70 shares during the period. Finally, Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI boosted its holdings in United Rentals by 0.4% during the fourth quarter. Arcadia Investment Management Corp MI now owns 4,787 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,372,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Down 4.3 %

NYSE URI opened at $629.17 on Tuesday. 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 quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.98. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $728.61 and a 200 day moving average price of $770.29. The company has a market cap 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 (NYSE:URI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. Research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. United Rentals’s payout ratio is currently 18.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

URI has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Citigroup reduced their price target on United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Argus increased their price target on United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Baird R W upgraded United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $829.00.

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.