Treasurer of the State of North Carolina Raises Stock Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Treasurer of the State of North Carolina boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 37,837 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 823 shares during the quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $26,654,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth $25,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth about $26,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 241.7% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $29,000 after purchasing an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management bought a new position in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth about $33,000. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity at United Rentals

In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,390,128. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. 0.51% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several brokerages recently weighed in on URI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Baird R W upgraded United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI reduced their price objective on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 19th. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Rentals presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $752.14.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:URI opened at $580.32 on Friday. The firm’s 50 day moving average is $647.74 and its two-hundred day moving average is $742.14. The firm has a market capitalization of $37.91 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.98, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.72. 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, Inc. has a 52 week low of $525.91 and a 52 week high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 EPS 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 anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.23%. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is presently 18.48%.

United Rentals 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.