U S Wealth Group LLC. Purchases New Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

U S Wealth Group LLC. acquired a new position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor acquired 3,700 shares of the construction company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,606,000. United Rentals makes up 2.0% of U S Wealth Group LLC.’s portfolio, making the stock its 17th largest position.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of URI. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,587,203 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,115,142,000 after purchasing an additional 20,401 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its position in United Rentals by 16.0% during the fourth quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,250,324 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $880,778,000 after purchasing an additional 172,340 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in United Rentals by 9.8% during the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,093,350 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $770,199,000 after purchasing an additional 97,336 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $695,716,000. Finally, Invesco Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 7.4% during the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 922,452 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $649,813,000 after buying an additional 63,657 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have weighed in on URI shares. Citigroup cut their target price on shares of United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Baird R W raised United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Bank of America dropped their price target on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, March 21st. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $956.00 target price (down previously from $963.00) on shares of United Rentals in a research report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $804.15.

United Rentals Trading Down 4.5 %

URI opened at $564.56 on Monday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $669.75 and a 200 day simple moving average of $750.57. The company has a market cap of $36.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.57, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.72. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $537.33 and a fifty-two week high of $896.98. 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 (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share (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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend 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 1.27%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.48%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

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.