Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund Cuts Stock Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund lowered its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 10,626 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 500 shares during the quarter. Fjarde AP Fonden Fourth Swedish National Pension Fund’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $7,485,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in URI. FMR LLC lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 3.7% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,416,568 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,956,768,000 after buying an additional 85,325 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its stake in 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 last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 6.1% during 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 in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position 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 valued at $637,968,000 after acquiring an additional 105,287 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 52,037 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Trading Down 4.3 %

NYSE:URI opened at $629.17 on Tuesday. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $596.48 and a one year high of $896.98. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $728.61 and a 200-day simple moving average of $770.29. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.98. The firm has a market cap of $41.09 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.24, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 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 analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. Equities analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.48%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently issued reports on URI. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target 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. 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 research report on Wednesday, February 19th. 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 report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup lowered their price objective on United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, United Rentals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $829.00.

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.