B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Has $11.98 Million Stock Position in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 11.7% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 14,769 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 1,546 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG's holdings in United Rentals were worth $11,980,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Capital International Investors raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 22.8% in the third quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,402,524 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,247,762,000 after purchasing an additional 631,484 shares during the last quarter. TD Asset Management Inc boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 66.5% during the third quarter. TD Asset Management Inc now owns 484,450 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $462,485,000 after buying an additional 193,416 shares during the last quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. grew its holdings in United Rentals by 3,459.3% during the fourth quarter. Robeco Institutional Asset Management B.V. now owns 196,688 shares of the construction company's stock worth $159,184,000 after buying an additional 191,162 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its holdings in United Rentals by 6.7% during the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,678,614 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,557,158,000 after buying an additional 168,685 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Public Sector Pension Investment Board raised its position in United Rentals by 3,094.3% in the 3rd quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 155,273 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $148,233,000 after buying an additional 150,412 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In other United Rentals news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 2,490 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $791.14, for a total value of $1,969,938.60. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 7,458 shares in the company, valued at $5,900,322.12. The trade was a 25.03% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP William E. Grace sold 1,498 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, February 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $790.89, for a total transaction of $1,184,753.22. Following the transaction, the executive vice president directly owned 6,872 shares of the company's stock, valued at $5,434,996.08. This represents a 17.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of United Rentals stock opened at $803.41 on Thursday. The business's fifty day simple moving average is $790.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $841.72. The company has a current ratio of 0.94, a quick ratio of 0.88 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.41. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $588.35 and a 12 month high of $1,021.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $50.53 billion, a P/E ratio of 20.77, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.30 and a beta of 1.68.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $11.47 by ($1.76). United Rentals had a net margin of 15.49% and a return on equity of 30.35%. The business had revenue of $3.99 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the company earned $8.86 EPS. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 46.6 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals announced that its board has approved a share repurchase program on Wednesday, January 28th that authorizes the company to repurchase $5.00 billion in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the construction company to buy up to 8.7% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are often a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 13th will be given a dividend of $1.97 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.0%. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio is presently 20.37%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have weighed in on URI shares. Weiss Ratings restated a "hold (c+)" rating on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Monday. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of United Rentals from $1,090.00 to $950.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 2nd. UBS Group upgraded shares of United Rentals from a "neutral" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $1,025.00 target price for the company in a report on Sunday, January 4th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on shares of United Rentals from $995.00 to $1,071.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 23rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on shares of United Rentals from $970.00 to $850.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 10th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twelve have assigned a Buy rating, three have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $914.88.

United Rentals Profile

United Rentals, Inc NYSE: URI is a leading equipment rental company headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The firm provides rental solutions and related services to construction, industrial, commercial, and municipal customers. Its business model centers on providing access to a broad fleet of equipment on a short-term or long-term basis, enabling customers to avoid the capital expenditure of ownership and to scale equipment use to match project needs.

The company's product and service offerings span general construction equipment and a range of specialty categories, including aerial work platforms, earthmoving and excavation machines, material handling equipment, pumps, power and HVAC systems, trench and shoring solutions, and tools.

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