Bessemer Group Inc. Sells 3,298 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Bessemer Group Inc. lessened its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 1.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 234,709 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 3,298 shares during the period. Bessemer Group Inc. owned 0.36% of United Rentals worth $165,339,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 355 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $288,000 after purchasing an additional 25 shares in the last quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 17.6% in the third quarter. EP Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 1,697 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,374,000 after purchasing an additional 254 shares during the last quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC grew its holdings in United Rentals by 13.6% during the 3rd quarter. Orion Portfolio Solutions LLC now owns 4,860 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $3,936,000 after buying an additional 581 shares in the last quarter. MML Investors Services LLC raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 18.7% during the 3rd quarter. MML Investors Services LLC now owns 10,954 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $8,870,000 after acquiring an additional 1,726 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 2.8% during the 3rd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 40,253 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $32,594,000 after acquiring an additional 1,102 shares during the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated 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 directly owns 6,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.51% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. UBS Group downgraded shares of United Rentals from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $910.00 to $485.00 in a report on Monday. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and lowered their target price for the stock from $705.00 to $666.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Robert W. Baird raised United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Baird R W upgraded United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $752.14.

United Rentals Trading Down 1.9 %

Shares of United Rentals stock opened at $550.14 on Wednesday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $657.05 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $745.90. The firm has a market capitalization of $35.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.20, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.72. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $525.91 and a 12-month high of $896.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly 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%. Analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm 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 of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.30%. United Rentals’s payout ratio is currently 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.