Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund Sells 94 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund reduced its stake in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 1.6% in the fourth quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 5,628 shares of the construction company’s stock after selling 94 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $3,965,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of URI. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its holdings 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 period. FMR LLC grew its holdings in 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. National Pension Service grew its holdings in United Rentals by 79.8% in the fourth quarter. National Pension Service now owns 167,813 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $118,214,000 after purchasing an additional 74,479 shares during the period. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its holdings in United Rentals by 10.5% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 704,145 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $570,167,000 after purchasing an additional 66,957 shares during the period. Finally, Franklin Resources Inc. grew its holdings in shares of United Rentals by 6.1% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 996,014 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $862,110,000 after buying an additional 57,002 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Up 0.6 %

Shares of United Rentals stock opened at $642.29 on Thursday. The company has a market cap of $41.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.58, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.68. The company’s 50 day moving average is $724.58 and its 200 day moving average is $769.00. United Rentals, Inc. has a twelve month low of $596.48 and a twelve month high of $896.98. The company has a quick ratio of 0.92, a current ratio of 0.98 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The construction company reported $11.59 earnings per share 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%. Research analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Shareholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were given a $1.79 dividend. The ex-dividend date was Wednesday, February 12th. This is an increase from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a yield of 1.11%. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 18.48%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other United Rentals news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the transaction, the chief financial officer now directly owns 6,880 shares in the company, valued at approximately $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.49% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

URI has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Evercore ISI cut their price target on shares of United Rentals from $1,004.00 to $974.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 19th. Argus increased their price target on shares of United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup cut their price target on shares of United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Robert W. Baird upgraded shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price target on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, United Rentals has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $829.00.

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.