Marshall Wace LLP Acquires 280,502 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Marshall Wace LLP lifted its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 105.6% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 546,165 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 280,502 shares during the quarter. United Rentals accounts for about 0.5% of Marshall Wace LLP’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 21st biggest holding. Marshall Wace LLP owned 0.84% of United Rentals worth $384,740,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Baird R W upgraded shares of United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Sanford C. Bernstein raised shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price objective for the company from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on United Rentals from $1,000.00 to $750.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. Finally, Bank of America cut their price target on United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday, March 21st. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $734.29.

United Rentals Stock Up 0.1 %

NYSE URI opened at $597.65 on Wednesday. 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 12 month low of $525.91 and a 12 month high of $896.98. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $638.42 and its 200 day moving average is $737.67. The stock has a market cap of $39.05 billion, a PE ratio of 15.42, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.72.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. Research analysts predict 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 issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.20%. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. United Rentals’s payout ratio is 18.48%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Rentals news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of United Rentals 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $4,390,128. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 0.53% of the stock is 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.