Waverton Investment Management Ltd Has $150.99 Million Position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Waverton Investment Management Ltd increased its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 1.8% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 214,455 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 3,867 shares during the quarter. United Rentals comprises approximately 2.4% of Waverton Investment Management Ltd’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 22nd biggest position. Waverton Investment Management Ltd’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $150,992,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 15.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 787,877 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $637,968,000 after buying an additional 105,287 shares in the last quarter. FMR LLC grew its position in United Rentals by 3.7% during the 3rd quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,416,568 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,956,768,000 after acquiring an additional 85,325 shares during the last quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company increased its holdings in United Rentals by 10.5% in the 3rd quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 704,145 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $570,167,000 after purchasing an additional 66,957 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its position in United Rentals by 6.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 996,014 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $862,110,000 after purchasing an additional 57,002 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Mizuho Securities USA LLC boosted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 1,067.5% during the third quarter. Mizuho Securities USA LLC now owns 59,879 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $48,486,000 after purchasing an additional 54,750 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

URI stock opened at $656.42 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $42.87 billion, a PE ratio of 16.94, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.68. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $731.32 and a 200-day moving average price of $770.71. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $596.48 and a 1-year high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its 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 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.09%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s payout ratio is presently 18.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms have recently issued reports on URI. Evercore ISI lowered their price objective on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price target for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Argus raised their price target on shares of United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price objective 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. Finally, Baird R W raised United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $829.00.

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.