Baird Financial Group Inc. Has $29.42 Million Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Baird Financial Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 4.2% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 41,758 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,692 shares during the quarter. Baird Financial Group Inc. owned 0.06% of United Rentals worth $29,416,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Norges Bank acquired a new position in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at about $695,716,000. Capital World Investors grew its position in United Rentals by 17.1% during the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,221,228 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,564,722,000 after acquiring an additional 323,636 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in United Rentals by 41.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,051,365 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $740,624,000 after purchasing an additional 305,491 shares in the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP raised its position in United Rentals by 105.6% in the 4th quarter. Marshall Wace LLP now owns 546,165 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $384,740,000 after purchasing an additional 280,502 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth $171,733,000. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

United Rentals Price Performance

NYSE URI opened at $657.98 on Tuesday. 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 stock has a market cap of $42.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.98, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $613.64 and a 200 day simple moving average of $717.73. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $525.91 and a 52-week high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $8.92 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. The company's revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $9.15 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.09%. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio is currently 18.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on URI shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on United Rentals from $1,000.00 to $750.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Monday, April 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $705.00 to $666.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. 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 research note on Wednesday, February 19th. 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. Finally, UBS Group cut shares of United Rentals from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $910.00 to $485.00 in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $725.69.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Rentals news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,748 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,478,697.44. This represents a 11.17 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.

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