Independent Advisor Alliance Reduces Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Independent Advisor Alliance trimmed its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 4.1% during the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 8,249 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 355 shares during the period. Independent Advisor Alliance’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $5,811,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in URI. Allen Capital Group LLC raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 4.2% in the third quarter. Allen Capital Group LLC now owns 324 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $262,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the period. First County Bank CT raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 3.2% in the third quarter. First County Bank CT now owns 422 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $342,000 after purchasing an additional 13 shares during the period. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. now owns 814 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $573,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Valmark Advisers Inc. raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 788 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $555,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group raised its position in shares of United Rentals by 3.4% in the third quarter. Brooklyn Investment Group now owns 450 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $364,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms recently weighed in on URI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley decreased 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 report on Monday, February 3rd. Evercore ISI decreased 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 report on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup decreased 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. Finally, Argus upped their target price on shares of United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. One 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 presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $829.00.

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 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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Price Performance

URI stock opened at $600.39 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.98. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $585.27 and a 52 week high of $896.98. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $706.98 and its 200 day moving average is $763.35. The firm has a market cap of $39.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.49, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released 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 net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. Research analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared 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 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.48%.

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.