New England Research & Management Inc. Has $5.53 Million Stock Holdings in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

New England Research & Management Inc. increased its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 10.0% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 7,855 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 715 shares during the quarter. United Rentals makes up 2.8% of New England Research & Management Inc.’s holdings, making the stock its 4th biggest position. New England Research & Management Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $5,533,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. FMR LLC increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 3.7% in the third quarter. FMR LLC now owns 2,416,568 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,956,768,000 after purchasing an additional 85,325 shares during the period. International Assets Investment Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 82,462.2% during the third quarter. International Assets Investment Management LLC now owns 1,606,661 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $1,300,962,000 after acquiring an additional 1,604,715 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in United Rentals by 0.6% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,566,802 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,264,326,000 after buying an additional 9,256 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. boosted its position in United Rentals by 6.1% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 996,014 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $862,110,000 after purchasing an additional 57,002 shares during the last quarter. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted its position in United Rentals by 15.4% in the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 787,877 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $637,968,000 after purchasing an additional 105,287 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Trading Down 1.1 %

NYSE URI opened at $758.30 on Thursday. United Rentals, Inc. has a one year low of $596.48 and a one year high of $896.98. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $767.89 and a 200-day simple moving average of $768.71. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.38, a quick ratio of 0.77 and a current ratio of 0.82. The firm has a market capitalization of $49.76 billion, a PE ratio of 19.80, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.73 and a beta of 1.69.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates of $11.65 by ($0.06). United Rentals had a return on equity of 34.73% and a net margin of 17.12%. On average, equities analysts forecast that United Rentals, Inc. will post 43.43 earnings per share for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th will be given a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.94%. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio is 17.03%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

URI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Bank of America increased their price objective on United Rentals from $800.00 to $910.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, October 24th. Baird R W upgraded United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 14th. Robert W. Baird raised United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price objective for the company in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Barclays increased their price target on United Rentals from $400.00 to $565.00 and gave the company an “underweight” rating in a research note on Friday, October 25th. Finally, Argus increased their price target on United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $813.73.

United Rentals Company 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.