Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. Grows Stock Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Brown Brothers Harriman & Co. lifted its position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 92.9% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 81 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 39 shares during the quarter. Brown Brothers Harriman & Co.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $57,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth about $695,716,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $171,733,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $164,493,000. TD Asset Management Inc. lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 207.8% during the 4th quarter. TD Asset Management Inc. now owns 234,366 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $165,097,000 after buying an additional 158,214 shares in the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in United Rentals by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 787,877 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $637,968,000 after buying an additional 105,287 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

NYSE URI opened at $647.27 on Thursday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $678.19 and a two-hundred day moving average of $753.23. 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, Inc. has a 1 year low of $585.27 and a 1 year high of $896.98. The company has a market capitalization of $42.29 billion, a PE ratio of 16.70, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its earnings results 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%. As a group, analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a $1.79 dividend. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.11%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is 18.48%.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,390,128. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

URI has been the topic of several analyst reports. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective 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. Sanford C. Bernstein raised United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their price target for the company from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Robert W. Baird upgraded United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of 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 price target on shares of United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, United Rentals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $804.15.

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.