Vinva Investment Management Ltd Reduces Stock Position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Vinva Investment Management Ltd lowered its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 80.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 568 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 2,317 shares during the quarter. Vinva Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $401,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Trillium Asset Management LLC acquired a new position in United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at about $8,946,000. Xponance Inc. grew its stake in United Rentals by 3.6% during the 4th quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 11,161 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,862,000 after purchasing an additional 387 shares during the last quarter. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth about $2,304,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 582 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $410,000 after buying an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth approximately $42,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

URI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Bank of America reduced their target price on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Morgan Stanley lowered their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. 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 research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on shares of United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded shares of United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a 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 issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, United Rentals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $815.67.

United Rentals Trading Down 0.3 %

NYSE URI opened at $628.63 on Friday. The company’s fifty day moving average price is $696.39 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $756.39. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.92. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $585.27 and a 12 month high of $896.98. The company has a market capitalization of $41.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were 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 was Wednesday, February 12th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.