Mizuho Bank Ltd. Invests $53,000 in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Mizuho Bank Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund bought 75 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $53,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. now owns 814 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $573,000 after buying an additional 14 shares during the period. Valmark Advisers Inc. boosted its holdings in United Rentals by 1.8% during the 4th quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 788 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $555,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH grew its position in United Rentals by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,794 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,002,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC grew its position in United Rentals by 2.3% in the 4th quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 669 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $471,000 after acquiring an additional 15 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division increased its stake in United Rentals by 4.5% in the fourth quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 368 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity

In related 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 transaction of $701,910.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,390,128. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently commented on URI shares. Evercore ISI cut 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 report on Wednesday, February 19th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Bank of America dropped their price objective on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Citigroup decreased their target price on United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $804.15.

United Rentals Price Performance

URI opened at $564.56 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $36.88 billion, a PE ratio of 14.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.72. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The business’s 50-day moving average is $669.75 and its two-hundred day moving average is $750.88. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $544.32 and a 1 year high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share (EPS) 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%. Research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.27%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.48%.

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.