Argus Investors Counsel Inc. Decreases Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Argus Investors Counsel Inc. cut its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 1.1% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 3,254 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 35 shares during the quarter. United Rentals comprises approximately 1.5% of Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 20th biggest holding. Argus Investors Counsel Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $2,292,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 11.7% in the 3rd quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 9,203 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $7,492,000 after acquiring an additional 964 shares during the last quarter. Retireful LLC purchased a new stake in United Rentals in the third quarter valued at $697,000. Mizuho Securities USA LLC grew its position in United Rentals by 1,067.5% during the 3rd quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 59,879 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $48,486,000 after purchasing an additional 54,750 shares during the period. Fiduciary Alliance LLC raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 196.5% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,420 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,000,000 after buying an additional 941 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 732,954 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $517,018,000 after buying an additional 52,037 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently commented on URI. Barclays raised their target price on United Rentals from $400.00 to $565.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Morgan Stanley cut their target price on shares of United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. Robert W. Baird raised shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Argus lifted their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. One equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $814.08.

United Rentals Stock Down 2.2 %

URI opened at $737.27 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $48.15 billion, a PE ratio of 19.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.68. United Rentals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $596.48 and a twelve month high of $896.98. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $757.46 and a 200 day moving average price of $769.69. 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 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 net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. Sell-side analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 46.09 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.97%. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.83%.

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.