Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. Sells 1,454 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. lessened its position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 0.8% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 180,260 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,454 shares during the period. Sumitomo Mitsui Trust Group Inc. owned about 0.27% of United Rentals worth $126,982,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new position in United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $26,000. E Fund Management Hong Kong Co. Ltd. bought a new position in shares of United Rentals during the third quarter valued at $31,000. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter valued at $33,000. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. increased its holdings in United Rentals by 80.0% in the 3rd quarter. Carmichael Hill & Associates Inc. now owns 45 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $36,000 after buying an additional 20 shares in the last quarter. Finally, HM Payson & Co. purchased a new position in United Rentals in the 3rd quarter worth about $41,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Trading Down 1.2 %

Shares of NYSE:URI opened at $740.69 on Friday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $752.83 and a 200 day moving average of $769.57. The company has a market cap of $48.37 billion, a PE ratio of 19.11, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.52 and a beta of 1.68. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $596.48 and a 12-month high of $896.98. 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 (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share 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%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 46.09 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.97%. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, February 12th. United Rentals’s payout ratio is presently 18.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of brokerages have recently commented on URI. Bank of America lifted their price target on shares of United Rentals from $800.00 to $910.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Baird R W raised United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Robert W. Baird raised United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Barclays increased their target price on United Rentals from $400.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a report on Friday, October 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $814.08.

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.