BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp Sells 2,846 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp lessened its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 81,454 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 2,846 shares during the period. BRITISH COLUMBIA INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT Corp owned 0.12% of United Rentals worth $57,379,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other large investors have also recently bought and sold shares of URI. Capital World Investors lifted its holdings 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 worth $1,564,722,000 after purchasing an additional 323,636 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,587,203 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,115,142,000 after purchasing an additional 20,401 shares during the period. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 16.0% in the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,250,324 shares of the construction company's stock worth $880,778,000 after buying an additional 172,340 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 9.8% during the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,093,350 shares of the construction company's stock worth $770,199,000 after buying an additional 97,336 shares during the period. Finally, Capital International Investors boosted 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 buying an additional 305,491 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Rentals Price Performance

United Rentals stock traded down $3.36 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $700.31. 333,184 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 603,292. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $525.91 and a 1-year high of $896.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The business has a fifty day moving average of $636.40 and a 200 day moving average of $705.44. The company has a market capitalization of $45.52 billion, a PE ratio of 18.07, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70.

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

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared 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. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.02%. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.54%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms have issued reports on URI. Bank of America decreased their price target on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 21st. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on United Rentals from $974.00 to $921.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, May 19th. Morgan Stanley raised United Rentals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $702.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Cfra Research raised United Rentals to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Finally, UBS Group raised United Rentals from a "sell" rating to a "neutral" rating and increased their price objective for the company from $485.00 to $780.00 in a research report on Friday, May 16th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Rentals presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $757.38.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Rentals news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total value of $499,748.88. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president now owns 1,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,355,957.06. This trade represents a 26.93% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, 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 transaction, 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 disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

United Rentals 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.