O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC Increases Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 1.8% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 16,670 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 289 shares during the quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $11,743,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the company. Townsquare Capital LLC boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 17.7% during the 3rd quarter. Townsquare Capital LLC now owns 2,383 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,930,000 after purchasing an additional 359 shares during the last quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board boosted its stake in United Rentals by 15.8% during the third quarter. Public Sector Pension Investment Board now owns 2,925 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,368,000 after buying an additional 400 shares during the last quarter. Icon Wealth Advisors LLC bought a new position in United Rentals during the third quarter valued at approximately $103,000. Fred Alger Management LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals during the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $2,043,000. Finally, Erste Asset Management GmbH bought a new stake in United Rentals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $2,263,000. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Price Performance

URI opened at $625.97 on Tuesday. The company has a market capitalization of $40.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.15, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $585.27 and a 12-month high of $896.98. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $684.08 and its 200-day simple moving average is $754.67.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued 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%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.14%. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s payout ratio is presently 18.48%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Evercore ISI cut their target price on shares of United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective 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. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Rentals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $804.15.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Rentals news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,390,128. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.