Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC Decreases Stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC cut its holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 2.2% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 1,743 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 40 shares during the period. Laird Norton Wetherby Wealth Management LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $1,228,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the business. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 14,855 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $10,464,000 after purchasing an additional 877 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in United Rentals by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 445,214 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $313,627,000 after acquiring an additional 6,787 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC grew its position in United Rentals by 196.5% in the fourth quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,420 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,000,000 after acquiring an additional 941 shares in the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in United Rentals in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $649,000. Finally, Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. grew its position in United Rentals by 35.1% in the fourth quarter. Penobscot Investment Management Company Inc. now owns 4,114 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,898,000 after acquiring an additional 1,068 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities analysts have recently commented on the company. Bank of America reduced their target price 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. 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 research note on Wednesday, April 16th. Cfra Research upgraded United Rentals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Citigroup reduced their target price on United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, 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 note on Wednesday, February 19th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $725.69.

Insider Activity

In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 24th. The stock was sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total transaction of $701,910.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction dated Monday, May 12th. The stock was sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total value of $499,748.88. Following the transaction, the vice president now directly owns 1,921 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,355,957.06. The trade was a 26.93% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last ninety days, insiders have sold 2,908 shares of company stock valued at $1,890,567. Company insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE URI opened at $725.71 on Wednesday. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $525.91 and a 1-year high of $896.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.92. The business’s fifty day moving average price is $620.30 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $712.30. The firm has a market capitalization of $47.17 billion, a PE ratio of 18.73, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.92 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.21% and a net margin of 16.78%. The company 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. United Rentals’s quarterly revenue was up 6.7% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.99%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.54%.

United Rentals 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.