MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. Sells 30 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

MidWestOne Financial Group Inc. reduced its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 0.5% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,956 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 30 shares during the period. United Rentals comprises 0.6% of MidWestOne Financial Group Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 29th largest position. MidWestOne Financial Group Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $4,196,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 21.9% during the fourth quarter. Focus Partners Advisor Solutions LLC now owns 881 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $621,000 after purchasing an additional 158 shares in the last quarter. Note Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of United Rentals during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $247,000. Delta Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 8.2% during the fourth quarter. Delta Investment Management LLC now owns 968 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $682,000 after purchasing an additional 73 shares in the last quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 6.3% during the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 545,838 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $384,510,000 after purchasing an additional 32,406 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Voloridge Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of United Rentals by 6.8% during the fourth quarter. Voloridge Investment Management LLC now owns 55,714 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $39,247,000 after purchasing an additional 3,531 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research firms have recently commented on URI. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and cut their price target for the company from $705.00 to $666.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. UBS Group upgraded shares of United Rentals from a “sell” rating to a “neutral” rating and increased their price target for the company from $485.00 to $780.00 in a report on Friday, May 16th. 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 report on Wednesday, April 16th. Bank of America cut their price target on shares of United Rentals from $850.00 to $750.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, March 21st. Finally, Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of United Rentals from $974.00 to $921.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Monday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating, nine have given a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $744.31.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In other news, VP Andrew B. Limoges sold 708 shares of United Rentals stock in a transaction on Monday, May 12th. The shares were sold at an average price of $705.86, for a total transaction of $499,748.88. Following the transaction, the vice president now owns 1,921 shares in the company, valued at $1,355,957.06. This trade represents a 26.93% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of United Rentals 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 owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at $4,390,128. This represents a 13.78% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 2,908 shares of company stock worth $1,890,567 in the last 90 days. 0.53% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

United Rentals Trading Down 1.4%

Shares of URI stock opened at $714.09 on Wednesday. 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’s 50 day moving average is $631.47 and its 200 day moving average is $709.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $46.42 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.43, 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 (EPS) 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 analysts’ expectations of $3.61 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $9.15 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Dividend Announcement

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Investors of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.00%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 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.