SG Americas Securities LLC Decreases Stock Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

SG Americas Securities LLC lessened its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 73.3% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 1,087 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 2,978 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC's holdings in United Rentals were worth $623,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in URI. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 7,691.1% during the first quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 3,506 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,245,000 after purchasing an additional 3,461 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 14.6% during the first quarter. Raymond James Trust N.A. now owns 2,296 shares of the construction company's stock worth $815,000 after purchasing an additional 293 shares in the last quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 16.8% during the first quarter. Cibc World Market Inc. now owns 7,941 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,821,000 after purchasing an additional 1,140 shares in the last quarter. Sei Investments Co. lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 50.1% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 1,914 shares of the construction company's stock worth $678,000 after purchasing an additional 639 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudential PLC acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals during the first quarter worth about $560,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company's stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 775 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $655.62, for a total value of $508,105.50. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,323 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $4,145,485.26. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently commented on URI shares. Citigroup boosted their price target on United Rentals from $490.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Friday, December 15th. Morgan Stanley started coverage on United Rentals in a research note on Monday, January 8th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $500.00 price target on the stock. The Goldman Sachs Group boosted their price target on United Rentals from $510.00 to $718.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 29th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on United Rentals from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Friday, January 26th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on United Rentals from $494.00 to $591.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, December 19th. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and six have given a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average target price of $572.20.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:URI traded down $11.84 during trading on Thursday, hitting $694.30. 347,447 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 585,031. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.64, a PEG ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 1.84. The business's fifty day moving average is $674.48 and its 200-day moving average is $553.10. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $325.15 and a one year high of $732.37. The company has a quick ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 0.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The construction company reported $11.26 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $10.85 by $0.41. The company had revenue of $3.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.63 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 36.80% and a net margin of 16.91%. The business's revenue was up 13.1% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $9.74 earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 42.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals declared that its Board of Directors has initiated a share repurchase program on Wednesday, January 24th that allows the company to repurchase $1.50 billion in shares. This repurchase authorization allows the construction company to repurchase up to 3.8% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's board of directors believes its stock is undervalued.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 14th were issued a dividend of $1.63 per share. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 13th. This is a positive change from United Rentals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.48. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio is 18.44%.

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.