PFG Advisors Sells 172 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

PFG Advisors decreased its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 16.9% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 847 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 172 shares during the quarter. PFG Advisors’ holdings in United Rentals were worth $597,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. FMR LLC raised its holdings in United Rentals by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,416,568 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,956,768,000 after purchasing an additional 85,325 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in United Rentals by 0.6% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,566,802 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,264,326,000 after purchasing an additional 9,256 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in United Rentals by 6.1% during the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 996,014 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $862,110,000 after purchasing an additional 57,002 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in United Rentals by 15.4% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 787,877 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $637,968,000 after purchasing an additional 105,287 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in United Rentals by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 732,954 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $517,018,000 after purchasing an additional 52,037 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on URI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Citigroup reduced their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. 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 report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. One 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 MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $829.00.

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 on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total transaction of $701,910.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at $4,390,128. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

NYSE URI opened at $623.35 on Friday. The company has a fifty day simple moving average of $701.71 and a 200 day simple moving average of $760.27. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $585.27 and a 12-month high of $896.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a market cap of $40.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.09, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76.

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 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%. Sell-side analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.15%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.48%.

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.