Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC Sells 6,603 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC reduced its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI - Free Report) by 30.7% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 14,897 shares of the construction company's stock after selling 6,603 shares during the quarter. Lighthouse Investment Partners LLC's holdings in United Rentals were worth $10,494,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of URI. Capital World Investors raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 17.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,221,228 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $1,564,722,000 after purchasing an additional 323,636 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its position in United Rentals by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,587,203 shares of the construction company's stock worth $1,115,142,000 after purchasing an additional 20,401 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. increased its stake in United Rentals by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,250,324 shares of the construction company's stock valued at $880,778,000 after buying an additional 172,340 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its position 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors lifted its position 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 in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of URI traded up $0.02 during trading hours on Thursday, hitting $713.37. The company's stock had a trading volume of 608,573 shares, compared to its average volume of 600,836. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $621.98 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $712.30. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $525.91 and a 52-week high of $896.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The company has a market cap of $46.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.41, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70.

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

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued 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 1.00%. United Rentals's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.54%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

URI has been the subject of a number of research analyst reports. Citigroup decreased their price target on 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 lowered United Rentals from a "buy" rating to a "sell" rating and decreased their target price for the company from $910.00 to $485.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of United Rentals from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and set a $702.00 price objective for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $535.00 to $571.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, nine have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $725.69.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $626.28, for a total value of $688,908.00. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 8,748 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $5,478,697.44. This represents a 11.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The stock was 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 $1,355,957.06. This trade represents a 26.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 2,908 shares of company stock worth $1,890,567 in the last quarter. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

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.