Axa S.A. Reduces Stock Position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Axa S.A. trimmed its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 59.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The institutional investor owned 8,204 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 12,068 shares during the period. Axa S.A.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $5,779,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in URI. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in United Rentals by 17.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,221,228 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,564,722,000 after purchasing an additional 323,636 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in shares of United Rentals by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,587,203 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,115,142,000 after buying an additional 20,401 shares during the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,250,324 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $880,778,000 after buying an additional 172,340 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in shares of United Rentals by 9.8% in the 4th quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,093,350 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $770,199,000 after buying an additional 97,336 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors raised its stake in United Rentals by 41.0% during the 4th quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,051,365 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $740,624,000 after acquiring an additional 305,491 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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 position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several brokerages have issued reports on URI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on United Rentals from $1,000.00 to $750.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, April 14th. Citigroup dropped their price target on United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Bank of America reduced their price objective on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, March 21st. 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 research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of United Rentals from $535.00 to $571.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Friday, April 25th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Rentals presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $725.69.

United Rentals Trading Down 0.9 %

Shares of United Rentals stock opened at $651.92 on Wednesday. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm has a market cap of $42.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.82, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $525.91 and a 52-week high of $896.98. The company’s 50-day simple moving average is $614.01 and its 200-day simple moving average is $717.28.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.92 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. The business had revenue of $3.72 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $3.61 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $9.15 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be paid a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 1.10%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.54%.

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.