Boston Partners Sells 286,000 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Boston Partners cut its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 42.4% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 387,993 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 286,000 shares during the quarter. Boston Partners’ holdings in United Rentals were worth $274,647,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Generali Asset Management SPA SGR purchased a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth $2,304,000. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in United Rentals by 7.2% in the fourth quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC now owns 582 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $410,000 after purchasing an additional 39 shares during the period. TCTC Holdings LLC purchased a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth $42,000. Signaturefd LLC increased its stake in United Rentals by 15.9% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 1,767 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,245,000 after purchasing an additional 243 shares during the period. Finally, Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in United Rentals by 2.6% in the fourth quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 1,440 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,014,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total transaction of $701,910.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at $4,390,128. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of United Rentals stock opened at $608.51 on Wednesday. The company has a market capitalization of $39.74 billion, a PE ratio of 15.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.98. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $698.93 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $758.97. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $585.27 and a one year high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. Research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.18%. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is 18.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have weighed in on URI. Robert W. Baird upgraded United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Argus raised their price target on United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley cut their price target on United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, United Rentals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $829.00.

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.