Lee Danner & Bass Inc. Decreases Stock Position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Lee Danner & Bass Inc. trimmed its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 1.3% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The firm owned 32,781 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 435 shares during the quarter. United Rentals accounts for about 1.8% of Lee Danner & Bass Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 8th largest position. Lee Danner & Bass Inc. owned about 0.05% of United Rentals worth $23,092,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 4.8% during the 4th quarter. Independent Solutions Wealth Management LLC now owns 2,754 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,940,000 after purchasing an additional 126 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 8.0% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. of Nevada Inc. now owns 22,399 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $15,779,000 after purchasing an additional 1,665 shares during the period. HUB Investment Partners LLC raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 20.9% during the 4th quarter. HUB Investment Partners LLC now owns 1,346 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $948,000 after purchasing an additional 233 shares during the period. Whittier Trust Co. raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 0.3% during the 4th quarter. Whittier Trust Co. now owns 54,502 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $38,393,000 after purchasing an additional 174 shares during the period. Finally, Blueshift Asset Management LLC bought a new stake in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at $649,000. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

United Rentals Stock Up 0.7 %

Shares of NYSE:URI opened at $631.14 on Friday. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $585.27 and a 52-week high of $896.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $41.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 16.29, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76. The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $697.25 and a 200-day moving average price of $757.17. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.13%. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.48%.

Analyst Ratings Changes

URI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Baird R W upgraded United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Evercore ISI reduced their target price on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup reduced their target price on United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Morgan Stanley reduced their target price on United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, February 3rd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $829.00.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the company’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 sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at $4,390,128. This represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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.