Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec Raises Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec raised its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 212.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 63,051 shares of the construction company's stock after buying an additional 42,893 shares during the quarter. Caisse DE Depot ET Placement DU Quebec owned about 0.10% of United Rentals worth $44,416,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter valued at about $695,716,000. Capital World Investors grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 17.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,221,228 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,564,722,000 after buying an additional 323,636 shares in the last quarter. Capital International Investors increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 41.0% in the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,051,365 shares of the construction company's stock worth $740,624,000 after buying an additional 305,491 shares during the last quarter. Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 280,502 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in United Rentals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $171,733,000. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total transaction of $701,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at $4,390,128. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on URI shares. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on United Rentals from $535.00 to $571.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Cfra Research upgraded shares of United Rentals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of United Rentals from $1,000.00 to $750.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of United Rentals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $702.00 price target on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Bank of America lowered their price target on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $725.69.

United Rentals Price Performance

NYSE URI traded up $1.09 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $652.74. 106,506 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 732,887. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $525.91 and a 52-week high of $896.98. The company has a market capitalization of $42.43 billion, a PE ratio of 16.84, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70. The firm's 50-day moving average is $614.01 and its 200-day moving average is $717.28. 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 quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $8.92 by ($0.06). The business 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 firm's quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned $9.15 earnings per share. Equities analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced 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 payout ratio is 18.54%.

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.