Daiwa Securities Group Inc. Acquires 3,968 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Daiwa Securities Group Inc. raised its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 18.8% during the 4th quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 25,051 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 3,968 shares during the period. Daiwa Securities Group Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $17,647,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 4.0% in the third quarter. Mayflower Financial Advisors LLC now owns 339 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $274,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the last quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC boosted its position in United Rentals by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 324 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $262,000 after buying an additional 13 shares during the period. First County Bank CT grew its stake in United Rentals by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. First County Bank CT now owns 422 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $342,000 after acquiring an additional 13 shares in the last quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 3.2% during the third quarter. Concurrent Investment Advisors LLC now owns 453 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $367,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 1.8% during the fourth quarter. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. now owns 814 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $573,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s 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 transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of United Rentals stock opened at $600.34 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $709.06 and a 200 day moving average price of $764.37. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.49, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $585.27 and a 52 week high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share (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%. Sell-side analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.19%. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s payout ratio is currently 18.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

URI has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Evercore ISI dropped their price objective 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. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Baird R W raised shares of United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $956.00 price objective (down from $963.00) on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Argus lifted their target price on United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $829.00.

United Rentals Company 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.