Headlands Technologies LLC Purchases Shares of 910 United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Headlands Technologies LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 910 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $641,000.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of URI. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in United Rentals by 1.3% during 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 during the period. Nemes Rush Group LLC increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 2,848.0% during the fourth quarter. Nemes Rush Group LLC now owns 737 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $519,000 after buying an additional 712 shares during the period. National Bank of Canada FI raised its holdings in United Rentals by 10.7% in the fourth quarter. National Bank of Canada FI now owns 41,420 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $29,179,000 after acquiring an additional 4,007 shares in the last quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC lifted its stake in United Rentals by 42.7% in the fourth quarter. HighPoint Advisor Group LLC now owns 1,180 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $889,000 after acquiring an additional 353 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. lifted its stake in United Rentals by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,093,350 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $770,199,000 after acquiring an additional 97,336 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

United Rentals Trading Up 2.4 %

NYSE URI opened at $647.27 on Thursday. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $678.19 and its two-hundred day moving average is $753.23. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $585.27 and a one year high of $896.98. 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 firm has a market cap of $42.29 billion, a PE ratio of 16.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. Analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.11%. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on URI shares. Bank of America reduced their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Robert W. Baird upgraded United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price 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 lowered their price target on United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $804.15.

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.