Sentry Investment Management LLC Trims Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Sentry Investment Management LLC cut its position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 14.1% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 255 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 42 shares during the quarter. Sentry Investment Management LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $180,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in URI. Mirae Asset Global Investments Co. Ltd. grew its position in shares of United Rentals by 11.7% during 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 acquiring an additional 964 shares during the last quarter. Arkadios Wealth Advisors acquired a new stake in United Rentals during the 3rd quarter worth $247,000. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in United Rentals by 2.4% during the 3rd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,532 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $4,480,000 after purchasing an additional 131 shares during the last quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC increased its stake in United Rentals by 28.0% in the third quarter. Modera Wealth Management LLC now owns 1,224 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $991,000 after purchasing an additional 268 shares during the period. Finally, DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 8.2% in the third quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale now owns 27,205 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $22,258,000 after buying an additional 2,056 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

NYSE:URI opened at $638.53 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $596.48 and a fifty-two week high of $896.98. The firm’s fifty day simple moving average is $726.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $769.89. The stock has a market cap of $41.70 billion, a PE ratio of 16.48, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.68.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. Analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a $1.79 dividend. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.12%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

URI has been the topic of several recent research reports. 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. Evercore ISI dropped their target price on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup cut their price target on United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $956.00 price objective (down from $963.00) on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $829.00.

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.