United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Shares Sold by Maryland State Retirement & Pension System

Maryland State Retirement & Pension System cut its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 7.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 3,496 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 287 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $2,463,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors also recently modified their holdings of URI. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter valued at about $171,733,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter valued at about $164,493,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 15.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 787,877 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $637,968,000 after acquiring an additional 105,287 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 3.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,416,568 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,956,768,000 after acquiring an additional 85,325 shares in the last quarter. Finally, National Pension Service grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 79.8% during the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 167,813 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $118,214,000 after acquiring an additional 74,479 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE URI opened at $631.14 on Friday. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $697.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $757.17. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $585.27 and a 52-week high of $896.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76. 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 quarterly earnings results 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%. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.13%. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Evercore ISI reduced their price target on shares of United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of 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. Baird R W raised shares of United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target 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. One 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, United Rentals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $829.00.

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.