Victory Capital Management Inc. Buys 2,756 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Victory Capital Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 10.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 28,978 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 2,756 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc.’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $20,413,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in URI. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at $171,733,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in United Rentals by 15.4% during the third quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 787,877 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $637,968,000 after acquiring an additional 105,287 shares during the period. FMR LLC lifted 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 valued at $1,956,768,000 after acquiring an additional 85,325 shares in the last quarter. National Pension Service boosted its stake in shares of 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 acquiring an additional 74,479 shares during the period. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company grew its position in shares of United Rentals by 10.5% during 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 in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other United Rentals news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 24th. The shares were sold at an average price of $638.10, for a total value of $701,910.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,390,128. This trade represents a 13.78 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. 0.53% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

United Rentals Trading Up 0.1 %

Shares of NYSE URI opened at $600.39 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $39.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 15.49, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76. United Rentals, Inc. has a 1-year low of $585.27 and a 1-year high of $896.98. The business’s 50 day moving average is $706.98 and its two-hundred day moving average is $763.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a current ratio of 0.98 and a quick ratio of 0.92.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released its 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 net margin of 16.78% and a return on equity of 34.21%. As a group, research analysts expect that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Stockholders of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a $1.79 dividend. This represents a $7.16 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 1.19%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This is a positive change from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.48%.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts have weighed in on the company. Baird R W upgraded United Rentals from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, January 14th. Argus upped their target price on shares of United Rentals from $840.00 to $880.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Morgan Stanley reduced their price target on shares of United Rentals from $775.00 to $765.00 and set an “equal weight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, February 3rd. Robert W. Baird raised shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 price objective for the company in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, January 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $829.00.

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.