Empowered Funds LLC Raises Stock Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Empowered Funds LLC boosted its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 20.5% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 6,137 shares of the construction company’s stock after purchasing an additional 1,045 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $4,323,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Brookstone Capital Management purchased a new position in United Rentals in the third quarter worth $208,000. Procyon Advisors LLC lifted its stake in United Rentals by 2.9% during the third quarter. Procyon Advisors LLC now owns 741 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $600,000 after purchasing an additional 21 shares during the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals in the 3rd quarter worth about $388,000. CX Institutional increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. CX Institutional now owns 515 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $417,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Creative Planning raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 7.9% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 13,046 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $10,563,000 after buying an additional 959 shares in the last quarter. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

URI has been the subject of several research reports. Baird R W raised United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Robert W. Baird raised shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Citigroup lowered their price target on shares of United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Bank of America raised their price objective on United Rentals from $800.00 to $910.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, October 24th. Finally, Morgan Stanley lowered their target price on United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 3rd. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, United Rentals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $814.08.

United Rentals Price Performance

URI opened at $753.65 on Wednesday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $748.32 and its 200-day moving average price is $770.09. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52-week low of $596.48 and a 52-week high of $896.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $49.22 billion, a PE ratio of 19.45, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.54 and a beta of 1.68. 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 issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 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%. On average, equities research analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.93 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.95%. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, February 12th. United Rentals’s payout ratio is presently 18.48%.

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.