AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc Sells 8,466 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc cut its position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 10.7% during the 1st quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 70,537 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 8,466 shares during the period. AEGON ASSET MANAGEMENT UK Plc’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $44,175,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rialto Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp purchased a new stake in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter worth about $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Rentals by 241.7% in the fourth quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 29 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new stake in United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $34,000. Finally, OFI Invest Asset Management bought a new stake in United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $36,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of United Rentals from $780.00 to $920.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 21st. Morgan Stanley upgraded United Rentals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $702.00 target price for the company in a report on Wednesday, April 16th. Citigroup reduced their price target on United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. The Goldman Sachs Group increased their target price on shares of United Rentals from $770.00 to $850.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 27th. Finally, Bank of America decreased their target price on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $753.15.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $626.28, for a total value of $688,908.00. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,748 shares in the company, valued at $5,478,697.44. The trade was a 11.17% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total transaction of $499,748.88. Following the sale, the vice president now directly owns 1,921 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,355,957.06. The trade was a 26.93% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 0.53% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

United Rentals Stock Down 2.5%

Shares of United Rentals stock opened at $690.83 on Tuesday. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1 year low of $525.91 and a 1 year high of $896.98. The firm has a market cap of $44.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.83, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70. The company has a 50-day moving average of $644.67 and a 200 day moving average of $699.02. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business posted $9.15 EPS. United Rentals’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th were given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.04%. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, May 14th. 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.