J. L. Bainbridge & Co. Inc. Trims Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

J. L. Bainbridge & Co. Inc. lowered its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 46.0% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 11,479 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 9,798 shares during the quarter. United Rentals accounts for 0.8% of J. L. Bainbridge & Co. Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 24th largest holding. J. L. Bainbridge & Co. Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $8,086,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Atala Financial Inc purchased a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at $279,000. LBP AM SA acquired a new position in United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth about $3,615,000. Impact Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth about $344,000. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its stake in United Rentals by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 54,998 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $38,743,000 after acquiring an additional 1,680 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its stake in United Rentals by 36.1% during the 4th quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 24,409 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $17,233,000 after acquiring an additional 6,475 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

URI has been the topic of several research reports. Evercore ISI decreased their target price on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley decreased their target price on United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Argus upped their price target on United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upgraded United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $829.00.

United Rentals Trading Up 4.9 %

URI opened at $623.35 on Friday. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $585.27 and a one year high of $896.98. The company has a market cap of $40.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.09, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.98. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $701.71 and its 200-day simple moving average is $760.27.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 EPS 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.15%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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 currently 18.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.