Mount Lucas Management LP Cuts Stock Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Mount Lucas Management LP reduced its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 5.6% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,540 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 91 shares during the quarter. Mount Lucas Management LP’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $1,085,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the stock. SLT Holdings LLC bought a new position in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter valued at about $434,000. Pettee Investors Inc. increased its stake in United Rentals by 0.7% in the 4th quarter. Pettee Investors Inc. now owns 5,662 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,989,000 after buying an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. AlphaQuest LLC lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 30.2% during the 4th quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 1,159 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $816,000 after buying an additional 269 shares in the last quarter. Argentarii LLC bought a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $753,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts recently commented on URI shares. Evercore ISI decreased their price target on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Argus increased their price target on shares of United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup lowered their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on shares of United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $829.00.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 directly owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at $4,390,128. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Up 0.4 %

URI opened at $628.63 on Monday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $711.17 and a 200 day moving average of $765.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12 month low of $585.27 and a 12 month high of $896.98. The company has a market cap of $41.05 billion, a PE ratio of 16.22, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 EPS 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 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.14%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.