Gabelli Funds LLC Sells 200 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Gabelli Funds LLC lessened its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 0.5% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 39,500 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 200 shares during the quarter. Gabelli Funds LLC’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $27,825,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. lifted its holdings in United Rentals by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Adell Harriman & Carpenter Inc. now owns 814 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $573,000 after acquiring an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. raised its position in United Rentals by 1.8% in the fourth quarter. Valmark Advisers Inc. now owns 788 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $555,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the period. Erste Asset Management GmbH lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 0.5% in the 4th quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH now owns 2,794 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $2,002,000 after purchasing an additional 14 shares during the last quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 2.3% during the 4th quarter. Klingman & Associates LLC now owns 669 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $471,000 after purchasing an additional 15 shares during the period. Finally, Moody National Bank Trust Division increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Moody National Bank Trust Division now owns 368 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $259,000 after purchasing an additional 16 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

URI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Baird R W raised shares of United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of United Rentals from $1,000.00 to $750.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Monday. Evercore ISI cut their target price on United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 19th. Citigroup lowered their price target on United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, April 8th. Finally, UBS Group cut United Rentals from a “buy” rating to a “sell” rating and dropped their price objective for the company from $910.00 to $485.00 in a research note on Monday, April 7th. Two equities research 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $734.29.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Up 0.1 %

URI stock opened at $597.65 on Wednesday. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $638.42 and its 200 day moving average price is $737.67. The firm has a market capitalization of $39.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.42, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.72. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $525.91 and a fifty-two week high of $896.98. 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 announced its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current fiscal year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were paid a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.20%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is currently 18.48%.

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.