Atalanta Sosnoff Capital LLC Reduces Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Atalanta Sosnoff Capital LLC cut its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 95,140 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 1,373 shares during the quarter. United Rentals comprises 1.5% of Atalanta Sosnoff Capital LLC's holdings, making the stock its 24th largest position. Atalanta Sosnoff Capital LLC owned 0.15% of United Rentals worth $67,020,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in United Rentals by 17.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,221,228 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,564,722,000 after buying an additional 323,636 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,587,203 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,115,142,000 after acquiring an additional 20,401 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in United Rentals by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,250,324 shares of the construction company's stock worth $880,778,000 after purchasing an additional 172,340 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,093,350 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $770,199,000 after acquiring an additional 97,336 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 41.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,051,365 shares of the construction company's stock worth $740,624,000 after purchasing an additional 305,491 shares during the period. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

URI has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Citigroup cut their price objective on United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Bank of America dropped their price target on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Baird R W raised shares of United Rentals from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Robert W. Baird raised their price target on United Rentals from $535.00 to $571.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Finally, Cfra Research upgraded shares of United Rentals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $725.69.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of URI stock traded down $5.81 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $651.92. 592,985 shares of the company's stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 594,587. The company has a market cap of $42.37 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $525.91 and a 1 year high of $896.98. The company's 50 day moving average is $613.64 and its two-hundred day moving average is $717.73. 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 (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $8.92 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. The firm had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.61 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $9.15 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.10%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.54%.

Insider Activity

In other United Rentals news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $626.28, for a total transaction of $688,908.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 8,748 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,478,697.44. The trade was a 11.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

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.