Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky Lowers Position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky decreased its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 11.3% in the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 101,578 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 12,937 shares during the period. United Rentals comprises approximately 0.6% of Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky’s holdings, making the stock its 19th biggest position. Teachers Retirement System of The State of Kentucky’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $71,555,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Rialto Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in United Rentals during the 4th quarter worth approximately $25,000. ORG Wealth Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at $26,000. Murphy & Mullick Capital Management Corp bought a new position in United Rentals in the 4th quarter worth $27,000. Meeder Asset Management Inc. increased its stake in United Rentals by 241.7% in the 4th quarter. Meeder Asset Management Inc. now owns 41 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 29 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hanson & Doremus Investment Management purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at about $33,000. Institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Price Performance

United Rentals stock opened at $590.80 on Friday. United Rentals, Inc. has a 12-month low of $525.91 and a 12-month high of $896.98. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $628.94 and a 200-day moving average price of $733.18. The firm has a market capitalization of $38.60 billion, a PE ratio of 15.25, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.72.

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 net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages recently issued reports on URI. Robert W. Baird raised United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. UBS Group lowered shares of United Rentals from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $910.00 to $485.00 in a research report on Monday, April 7th. Morgan Stanley upgraded shares of United Rentals from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and set a $702.00 price target on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Baird R W raised United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $729.79.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In other United Rentals news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now directly 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 filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

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.