Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Has $2.47 Million Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System decreased its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 5.4% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 3,500 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the period. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $2,466,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the stock. International Assets Investment Management LLC grew its position in United Rentals by 82,462.2% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,606,661 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,300,962,000 after buying an additional 1,604,715 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 15.4% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 787,877 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $637,968,000 after purchasing an additional 105,287 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 3.7% during the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,416,568 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,956,768,000 after purchasing an additional 85,325 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 10.5% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 704,145 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $570,167,000 after purchasing an additional 66,957 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 6.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 996,014 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $862,110,000 after purchasing an additional 57,002 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Up 1.6 %

Shares of NYSE URI opened at $741.10 on Friday. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $596.48 and a 12-month high of $896.98. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $740.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $769.54. 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 $48.40 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 19.13, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.68.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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, research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.93 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.97%. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s payout ratio is presently 16.83%.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of brokerages have recently issued reports on URI. Baird R W upgraded shares of United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note 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 research report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price objective on United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Argus increased their target price on United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Citigroup decreased their price target on United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, United Rentals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $814.08.

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.