United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Stake Lowered by Brown Advisory Inc.

Brown Advisory Inc. decreased its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 9.3% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 301,669 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 31,001 shares during the period. Brown Advisory Inc. owned 0.46% of United Rentals worth $212,507,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of URI. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 241.7% during the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the construction company's stock worth $29,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management acquired a new stake in United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other United Rentals news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were 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 in the company, valued at $5,478,697.44. The trade was a 11.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

United Rentals Stock Down 0.9 %

URI traded down $5.81 during trading on Tuesday, hitting $651.92. The company had a trading volume of 592,985 shares, compared to its average volume of 594,588. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $525.91 and a 1-year high of $896.98. 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 company has a market cap of $42.37 billion, a PE ratio of 16.82, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70. The business has a 50-day moving average of $614.01 and a 200-day moving average of $717.28.

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

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.10%. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.54%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have recently issued reports on URI. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $535.00 to $571.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and cut their price objective for the company from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Baird R W upgraded United Rentals from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased 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. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $725.69.

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.