United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) is Impax Asset Management Group plc's 10th Largest Position

Impax Asset Management Group plc trimmed its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 14.5% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 820,424 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 139,632 shares during the quarter. United Rentals comprises about 1.9% of Impax Asset Management Group plc's portfolio, making the stock its 10th biggest holding. Impax Asset Management Group plc owned approximately 1.21% of United Rentals worth $469,935,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 6.4% during the 3rd quarter. Janney Montgomery Scott LLC now owns 21,568 shares of the construction company's stock worth $9,588,000 after buying an additional 1,304 shares during the last quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Graybill Wealth Management LTD. now owns 9,487 shares of the construction company's stock worth $4,218,000 after buying an additional 58 shares during the last quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 55.5% during the 4th quarter. Pinnacle Associates Ltd. now owns 6,413 shares of the construction company's stock worth $3,677,000 after buying an additional 2,289 shares during the last quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth $22,529,000. Finally, Teza Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 40.5% during the 3rd quarter. Teza Capital Management LLC now owns 5,012 shares of the construction company's stock worth $2,228,000 after buying an additional 1,445 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently weighed in on URI. Barclays upped their price objective on United Rentals from $325.00 to $400.00 and gave the stock an "underweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on United Rentals from $322.00 to $559.00 and gave the company an "underperform" rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Morgan Stanley assumed coverage on United Rentals in a research report on Monday, January 8th. They issued an "equal weight" rating and a $500.00 target price for the company. BNP Paribas reiterated an "underperform" rating and issued a $485.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 5th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on United Rentals from $630.00 to $710.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Friday, January 26th. Three equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and six have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $572.20.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Rentals 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,323 shares in the company, valued at $4,145,485.26. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.49% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Rentals Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of URI stock traded down $6.20 on Tuesday, hitting $696.76. The company had a trading volume of 379,316 shares, compared to its average volume of 574,963. The stock's 50-day moving average is $678.18 and its two-hundred day moving average is $560.08. United Rentals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $325.15 and a twelve month high of $732.37. The firm has a market cap of $46.80 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.71, a P/E/G ratio of 2.46 and a beta of 1.84. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.24, a quick ratio of 0.75 and a current ratio of 0.81.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 24th. The construction company reported $11.26 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $10.85 by $0.41. United Rentals had a return on equity of 36.80% and a net margin of 16.91%. The business had revenue of $3.73 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $3.63 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $9.74 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 13.1% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.05 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

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

United Rentals announced that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Wednesday, January 24th that allows the company to buyback $1.50 billion in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the construction company to repurchase up to 3.8% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are usually a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

About United Rentals

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.