United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Position Lifted by Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board

Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board grew its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 25.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 2,873 shares of the construction company's stock after acquiring an additional 584 shares during the period. Ontario Teachers Pension Plan Board's holdings in United Rentals were worth $2,024,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at $25,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new stake in United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth about $26,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 241.7% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have commented on the stock. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. UBS Group downgraded United Rentals from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and cut their price target for the stock from $910.00 to $485.00 in a report on Monday, April 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on United Rentals from $1,000.00 to $750.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, April 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of United Rentals from an "underperform" rating to a "market perform" rating and cut their target price for the stock from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of United Rentals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $702.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $729.79.

United Rentals Trading Up 1.0 %

United Rentals stock traded up $5.57 during trading on Friday, hitting $590.80. The company's stock had a trading volume of 367,847 shares, compared to its average volume of 588,507. The stock's fifty day moving average is $628.94 and its 200 day moving average is $733.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.98. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $525.91 and a 1-year high of $896.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.25, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.72.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.21%. This is a positive change from United Rentals's previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.48%.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 0.53% of the company's stock.

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.