Deutsche Bank AG Boosts Position in United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Deutsche Bank AG raised its holdings in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 28.1% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 224,316 shares of the construction company’s stock after buying an additional 49,196 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $158,017,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of URI. Capital World Investors lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals by 17.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 2,221,228 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,564,722,000 after purchasing an additional 323,636 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in United Rentals by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 1,587,203 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,115,142,000 after acquiring an additional 20,401 shares in the last quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. boosted its holdings in United Rentals by 16.0% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 1,250,324 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $880,778,000 after acquiring an additional 172,340 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its position in United Rentals by 9.8% in the fourth quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 1,093,350 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $770,199,000 after acquiring an additional 97,336 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Capital International Investors raised its stake in shares of United Rentals by 41.0% during the fourth quarter. Capital International Investors now owns 1,051,365 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $740,624,000 after purchasing an additional 305,491 shares during the period. 96.26% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

United Rentals Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:URI opened at $672.53 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $43.71 billion, a PE ratio of 17.36, a P/E/G ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.70. United Rentals, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $525.91 and a fifty-two week high of $896.98. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $616.74 and a 200 day simple moving average of $714.50. 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 posted its earnings results on Wednesday, April 23rd. The construction company reported $8.86 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $8.92 by ($0.06). The company had revenue of $3.72 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $3.61 billion. United Rentals had a net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 6.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company posted $9.15 earnings per share. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 28th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, May 14th will be issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.06%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, May 14th. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.54%.

Insider Transactions at United Rentals

In other news, EVP Michael D. Durand sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, April 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $626.28, for a total transaction of $688,908.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 8,748 shares in the company, valued at approximately $5,478,697.44. The trade was a 11.17 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup decreased their target price on shares of United Rentals from $720.00 to $650.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, April 8th. Cfra Research upgraded United Rentals to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Friday, April 25th. Robert W. Baird increased their price target on United Rentals from $535.00 to $571.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, April 25th. Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and dropped their price objective for the stock from $705.00 to $666.00 in a report on Tuesday, March 25th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on United Rentals from $1,000.00 to $750.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, April 14th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating, nine have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $725.69.

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.