United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Stock Position Lowered by BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.

BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. decreased its position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 43.7% in the third quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 45,304 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 35,235 shares during the period. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $36,684,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 11.7% in the third quarter. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. now owns 9,203 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $7,492,000 after purchasing an additional 964 shares in the last quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. increased its stake in United Rentals by 31.9% in the 2nd quarter. Essex Financial Services Inc. now owns 563 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $364,000 after buying an additional 136 shares during the period. Retireful LLC purchased a new stake in United Rentals in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $697,000. Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its stake in shares of 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 valued at $48,486,000 after buying an additional 54,750 shares during the period. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 241.2% during the 1st quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 4,859 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,504,000 after acquiring an additional 3,435 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Rentals Stock Up 1.0 %

URI stock opened at $849.03 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $55.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.17, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.93 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a 50-day moving average of $819.40 and a two-hundred day moving average of $731.57. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $454.71 and a 52-week high of $896.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a current ratio of 0.82 and a quick ratio of 0.77.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, October 23rd. The construction company reported $11.80 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $12.49 by ($0.69). The business had revenue of $3.99 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.01 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.73% and a net margin of 17.12%. United Rentals’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.0% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $11.73 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.46 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th will be paid a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.77%. United Rentals’s payout ratio is 17.03%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, SVP Anthony S. Leopold sold 900 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, October 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $823.24, for a total value of $740,916.00. Following the completion of the sale, the senior vice president now owns 2,044 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,682,702.56. This trade represents a 30.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages recently issued reports on URI. Bank of America increased 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. Barclays lifted their price target on United Rentals from $400.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their price objective on United Rentals from $790.00 to $905.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, July 26th. Evercore ISI lifted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $774.00 to $795.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Monday, August 19th. Finally, Argus increased their price target on shares of United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday. Three analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $751.67.

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.