Guidance Capital Inc. Buys Shares of 1,102 United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Guidance Capital Inc. purchased a new position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor purchased 1,102 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $776,000.

Several other hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in URI. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the third quarter worth about $31,000. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 80.0% in the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 45 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $36,000 after acquiring an additional 20 shares during the period. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management purchased a new position in United Rentals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $33,000. Finally, HM Payson & Co. bought a new stake in United Rentals during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $41,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Baird R W upgraded United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley lowered their price target on United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Bank of America boosted their price objective on United Rentals from $800.00 to $910.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 target price for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $814.08.

United Rentals Stock Performance

United Rentals stock opened at $754.18 on Wednesday. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $759.85 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $769.92. United Rentals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $596.48 and a twelve month high of $896.98. The company has a market capitalization of $49.26 billion, a PE ratio of 19.46, a P/E/G ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.68. 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 (NYSE:URI) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. Research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 46.09 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.95%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 16.83%.

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.