Valmark Advisers Inc. Purchases 14 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Valmark Advisers Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 788 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Valmark Advisers Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $555,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of URI. Creative Planning increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 13,046 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,563,000 after acquiring an additional 959 shares during the last quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC boosted its position in United Rentals by 18.4% during the third quarter. Stratos Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 560 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $454,000 after purchasing an additional 87 shares during the period. Blue Trust Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 168.8% in the third quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 906 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $734,000 after purchasing an additional 569 shares during the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 12.3% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 121,975 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $98,767,000 after purchasing an additional 13,373 shares during the period. Finally, Commonwealth Equity Services LLC lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Commonwealth Equity Services LLC now owns 53,318 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $43,173,000 after buying an additional 878 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Price Performance

URI stock opened at $741.10 on Tuesday. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $738.87 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $770.03. The firm has a market cap of $48.40 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.13, a P/E/G ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.68. 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 12 month low of $596.48 and a 12 month high of $896.98.

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

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm 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. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.97%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 16.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

URI has been the topic of several research analyst reports. Robert W. Baird raised shares of 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. Baird R W upgraded United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Bank of America lifted their price target on United Rentals from $800.00 to $910.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Barclays upped their price objective on United Rentals from $400.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Morgan Stanley dropped their target price on United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $814.08.

United Rentals Company 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.