United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) Shares Acquired by Meeder Asset Management Inc.

Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 241.7% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 41 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 29 shares during the period. Meeder Asset Management Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $29,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Rialto Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth $25,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at about $26,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in United Rentals in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Hanson & Doremus Investment Management acquired a new position in United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $33,000. Finally, Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total transaction of $701,910.00. Following the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research firms recently weighed in on URI. Morgan Stanley decreased their price target on 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. Bank of America lowered their price target on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 21st. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Finally, Citigroup reduced their price target 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. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Rentals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $804.15.

United Rentals Stock Performance

NYSE URI opened at $647.27 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $585.27 and a fifty-two week high of $896.98. The business has a fifty day moving average of $678.19 and a 200-day moving average of $753.23. The stock has a market cap of $42.29 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.70, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share 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%. As a group, analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal 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 given a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.11%. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.48%.

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.