United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Stock Holdings Lessened by Marvin & Palmer Associates Inc.

Marvin & Palmer Associates Inc. lessened its position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 49.8% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 4,133 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 4,101 shares during the period. United Rentals makes up 2.2% of Marvin & Palmer Associates Inc.’s portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest position. Marvin & Palmer Associates Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $2,911,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. FMR LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 3.7% in the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,416,568 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,956,768,000 after acquiring an additional 85,325 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 0.6% in the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,566,802 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,264,326,000 after acquiring an additional 9,256 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 6.1% in the 3rd quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 996,014 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $862,110,000 after acquiring an additional 57,002 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 15.4% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 787,877 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $637,968,000 after acquiring an additional 105,287 shares during the period. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB increased its stake in United Rentals by 7.6% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 732,954 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $517,018,000 after buying an additional 52,037 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Rentals news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have commented on URI shares. Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and set a $956.00 target price (down previously from $963.00) on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird raised shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on shares of 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. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Evercore ISI lowered their target price on shares of 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. 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 data from MarketBeat, United Rentals currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $829.00.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of URI opened at $628.63 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $711.17 and its 200-day moving average is $765.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $41.05 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.22, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76. 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 12-month low of $585.27 and a 12-month high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its 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 return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. Equities research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.14%. 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 dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.48%.

About United Rentals

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.