Kennedy Capital Management LLC Has $8.40 Million Stock Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Kennedy Capital Management LLC lowered its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 3.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 11,930 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 416 shares during the period. Kennedy Capital Management LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $8,404,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of URI. Norges Bank acquired a new position in United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth about $695,716,000. Proficio Capital Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $171,733,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new position in United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $164,493,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in United Rentals by 16.0% during the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,250,324 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $880,778,000 after buying an additional 172,340 shares during the period. Finally, TD Asset Management Inc. grew 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 acquiring an additional 158,214 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 6,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,390,128. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 0.51% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Trading Down 5.0 %

NYSE URI opened at $580.32 on Friday. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $525.91 and a 52 week high of $896.98. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $647.74 and a 200-day moving average price of $742.14. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The company has a market cap of $37.91 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.98, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.72.

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

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.23%. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s payout ratio is 18.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have recently commented on URI. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. 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 research report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Baird R W raised shares of United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $752.14.

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.