Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY Reduces Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY lowered its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 30.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 4,649 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 2,000 shares during the quarter. Burns J W & Co. Inc. NY’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $3,275,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of the stock. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth $26,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. purchased a new stake in United Rentals during the 3rd quarter valued at about $31,000. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 80.0% in the third quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 45 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 20 shares during the period. HM Payson & Co. purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the third quarter worth about $41,000. Finally, Trust Co. of Vermont boosted its position in United Rentals by 6,000.0% in the third quarter. Trust Co. of Vermont now owns 61 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $49,000 after buying an additional 60 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related news, SVP Anthony S. Leopold sold 900 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, October 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $823.24, for a total value of $740,916.00. Following the transaction, the senior vice president now directly owns 2,044 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,682,702.56. This represents a 30.57 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several brokerages recently weighed in on URI. Barclays lifted their price target on United Rentals from $400.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research report on Friday, October 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $780.00 to $940.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, September 23rd. Robert W. Baird increased their target price on shares of United Rentals from $565.00 to $650.00 and gave the stock an “underperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 3rd. Bank of America lifted their price target on United Rentals from $800.00 to $910.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Citigroup raised their price objective on United Rentals from $955.00 to $985.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, December 9th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $817.08.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE URI traded up $17.12 during mid-day trading on Monday, reaching $688.06. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 744,391 shares, compared to its average volume of 685,052. The stock has a market capitalization of $45.15 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.97, a P/E/G ratio of 1.83 and a beta of 1.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.82. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $545.16 and a 1-year high of $896.98. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $789.04 and a two-hundred day moving average of $758.98.

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

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, November 27th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, November 13th were issued a $1.63 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, November 13th. This represents a $6.52 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. United Rentals’s payout ratio is 17.03%.

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.