Generali Asset Management SPA SGR Makes New $2.30 Million Investment in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Generali Asset Management SPA SGR acquired a new position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 3,271 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,304,000.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. boosted its position in United Rentals by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 14,855 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,464,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in United Rentals by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 445,214 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $313,627,000 after purchasing an additional 6,787 shares during the last quarter. Retireful LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals in the third quarter worth $697,000. Fiduciary Alliance LLC boosted its position in United Rentals by 196.5% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,420 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,000,000 after purchasing an additional 941 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in United Rentals by 7.6% in the fourth 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. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE URI opened at $627.42 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $40.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.19, 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. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $698.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $758.05. United Rentals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $585.27 and a twelve month high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced 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 return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a $1.79 dividend. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on URI shares. Morgan Stanley dropped their price target on 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. Argus upped their price target on United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird raised United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price target on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI dropped their price target on 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. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $829.00.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.