Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. Invests $802,000 in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Landscape Capital Management L.L.C. bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund bought 1,138 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $802,000.

Other hedge funds also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in United Rentals by 1.3% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,587,203 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,115,142,000 after acquiring an additional 20,401 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 16.0% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,250,324 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $880,778,000 after purchasing an additional 172,340 shares during the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of United Rentals by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,093,350 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $770,199,000 after purchasing an additional 97,336 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth about $695,716,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted its position 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 buying an additional 105,287 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Trading Down 4.5 %

Shares of NYSE URI opened at $564.56 on Friday. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $669.75 and its 200-day moving average price is $750.73. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $544.32 and a fifty-two week high of $896.98. 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 company has a market cap of $36.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.57, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.72.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its earnings results 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 return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. On average, sell-side analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.27%. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. United Rentals’s payout ratio is 18.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on URI shares. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their target price for the company from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Citigroup reduced their target price on shares of United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price target for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective 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. Finally, Baird R W raised United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $804.15.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the business’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 value of $701,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now 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 sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

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.