MetLife Investment Management LLC Has $12.73 Million Stock Position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

MetLife Investment Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 0.1% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 18,067 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 19 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $12,727,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in URI. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 6.3% in the fourth quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 14,855 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,464,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares during the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in United Rentals by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 445,214 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $313,627,000 after buying an additional 6,787 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC raised its position in United Rentals by 196.5% in the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,420 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,000,000 after buying an additional 941 shares during the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC purchased a new position in United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth $649,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB grew its stake in shares of United Rentals by 7.6% in the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 732,954 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $517,018,000 after acquiring an additional 52,037 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of URI opened at $590.80 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $38.60 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.72. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $525.91 and a 52-week high of $896.98. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $628.94 and its 200 day simple moving average is $732.79.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. Research analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.21%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.48%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the business’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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,390,128. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts recently weighed in on URI shares. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, April 8th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price target for the stock from $705.00 to $666.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Robert W. Baird upgraded 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. UBS Group downgraded shares of United Rentals from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $910.00 to $485.00 in a report on Monday, April 7th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised shares of United Rentals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $702.00 price objective on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 16th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and ten have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $729.79.

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.