Americana Partners LLC Sells 47 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Americana Partners LLC lessened its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 6.7% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 656 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 47 shares during the period. Americana Partners LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $462,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. FMR LLC raised its stake in United Rentals by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,416,568 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,956,768,000 after buying an additional 85,325 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 82,462.2% in the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,606,661 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,300,962,000 after acquiring an additional 1,604,715 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 0.6% in the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,566,802 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,264,326,000 after acquiring an additional 9,256 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in United Rentals by 6.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 996,014 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $862,110,000 after purchasing an additional 57,002 shares during the period. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 15.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 787,877 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $637,968,000 after acquiring an additional 105,287 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

URI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Morgan Stanley lowered 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. Citigroup cut their target price on United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Baird R W raised United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays lifted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $400.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 target price for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $814.08.

United Rentals Trading Down 2.7 %

Shares of NYSE:URI opened at $721.61 on Wednesday. The business’s 50-day moving average is $737.38 and its 200 day moving average is $770.38. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $596.48 and a 1 year high of $896.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.13 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.62, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its quarterly earnings data 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 net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. On average, research analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.83%.

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.