Fisher Funds Management LTD Trims Stock Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. $URI

Fisher Funds Management LTD lowered its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 9.5% in the first quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 16,774 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 1,765 shares during the quarter. Fisher Funds Management LTD’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $12,221,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in URI. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc boosted its position in United Rentals by 16.4% in the first quarter. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc now owns 41,551 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $30,229,000 after buying an additional 5,862 shares during the last quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB increased its holdings in United Rentals by 26.4% in the 1st quarter. E. Ohman J or Asset Management AB now owns 2,833 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $2,064,000 after buying an additional 591 shares during the period. Uhlmann Price Securities LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals during the 1st quarter worth approximately $232,000. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV raised its position in United Rentals by 4.1% during the 1st quarter. Nations Financial Group Inc. IA ADV now owns 1,808 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,318,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. Finally, J. Derek Lewis & Associates Inc. acquired a new stake in United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $205,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Trading Up 0.1%

Shares of NYSE:URI opened at $1,077.68 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 0.80, a quick ratio of 0.74 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.37. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $693.78 and a 12-month high of $1,106.88. The business has a 50 day moving average of $953.75 and a two-hundred day moving average of $871.73. The company has a market capitalization of $67.52 billion, a PE ratio of 27.49, a PEG ratio of 1.70 and a beta of 1.81.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, April 22nd. The construction company reported $9.71 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.47 by ($1.76). The firm had revenue of $3.98 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $4.20 billion. United Rentals had a return on equity of 30.56% and a net margin of 15.32%.United Rentals’s revenue for the quarter was up 7.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $8.86 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 47.26 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 27th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 13th were issued a dividend of $1.97 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, May 13th. This represents a $7.88 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is 20.10%.

Insider Activity

In related news, CEO Matthew John Flannery sold 22,768 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $984.98, for a total transaction 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 trade represents a 18.55% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 548 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction on Friday, April 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $977.86, for a total transaction of $535,867.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president directly owned 1,865 shares of the company’s stock, 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. Over the last three months, insiders sold 26,088 shares of company stock valued at $25,628,877. 0.47% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently commented on URI. Citigroup upped their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $950.00 to $1,130.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Raymond James Financial reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $1,275.00 target price on shares of United Rentals in a report on Wednesday, June 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $1,050.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, April 24th. KeyCorp upped their price target on shares of United Rentals from $950.00 to $1,150.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein set a $903.00 price target on United Rentals and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 9th. Thirteen investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $1,045.81.

United Rentals 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.