Groupama Asset Managment Increases Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Groupama Asset Managment boosted its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 8.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 84,442 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 6,830 shares during the period. United Rentals makes up about 1.0% of Groupama Asset Managment’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 25th biggest holding. Groupama Asset Managment owned approximately 0.13% of United Rentals worth $68,341,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Capital International Investors lifted its position in United Rentals by 22.8% during the 3rd quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 3,402,524 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $3,247,762,000 after acquiring an additional 631,484 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its position in United Rentals by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,708,877 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,192,357,000 after acquiring an additional 30,263 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in United Rentals by 2.2% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,343,981 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,087,711,000 after acquiring an additional 28,895 shares in the last quarter. Norges Bank acquired a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $978,017,000. Finally, Alliancebernstein L.P. raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 5.6% during the third quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,088,209 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,038,870,000 after purchasing an additional 57,977 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on URI shares. Robert W. Baird upped their target price on shares of United Rentals from $970.00 to $1,100.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and set a $1,275.00 price target on shares of United Rentals in a research note on Wednesday, June 10th. Morgan Stanley reiterated an “overweight” rating and issued a $1,030.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals in a report on Friday, April 24th. Sanford C. Bernstein set a $903.00 price objective on shares of United Rentals and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Finally, Royal Bank Of Canada raised their target price on United Rentals from $1,041.00 to $1,119.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Thirteen equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $1,045.81.

United Rentals Stock Up 2.7%

URI stock opened at $1,077.68 on Friday. United Rentals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $693.78 and a twelve month high of $1,106.88. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. The company has a market capitalization of $67.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 27.49, a PEG ratio of 1.66 and a beta of 1.81. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $947.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $869.81.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $9.71 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.47 by ($1.76). United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.56% and a net margin of 15.32%.The company had revenue of $3.98 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $4.20 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $8.86 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 7.2% on a year-over-year basis. On average, equities research analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 47.26 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 13th were given a $1.97 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $7.88 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. United Rentals’s payout ratio is presently 20.10%.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other news, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 22,768 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $984.98, for a total value of $22,426,024.64. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 99,980 shares in the company, valued at approximately $98,478,300.40. This represents a 18.55% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 548 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, April 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $977.86, for a total transaction of $535,867.28. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,865 shares in the company, valued at $1,823,708.90. The trade was a 22.71% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold a total of 26,088 shares of company stock worth $25,628,877 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 0.47% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Company Profile

United Rentals, Inc (NYSE: URI) is a leading equipment rental company headquartered in Stamford, Connecticut. The firm provides rental solutions and related services to construction, industrial, commercial, and municipal customers. Its business model centers on providing access to a broad fleet of equipment on a short-term or long-term basis, enabling customers to avoid the capital expenditure of ownership and to scale equipment use to match project needs.

The company’s product and service offerings span general construction equipment and a range of specialty categories, including aerial work platforms, earthmoving and excavation machines, material handling equipment, pumps, power and HVAC systems, trench and shoring solutions, and tools.