Pictet Asset Management Holding SA Acquires 5,782 Shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI)

Pictet Asset Management Holding SA lifted its stake in shares of United Rentals, Inc. (NYSE:URI) by 16.8% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 40,262 shares of the construction company’s stock after acquiring an additional 5,782 shares during the quarter. Pictet Asset Management Holding SA’s holdings in United Rentals were worth $28,362,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in URI. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its position in United Rentals by 6.3% in the 4th quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 14,855 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $10,464,000 after buying an additional 877 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its stake in United Rentals by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 445,214 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $313,627,000 after buying an additional 6,787 shares in the last quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC increased its position in shares of United Rentals by 196.5% during the 4th quarter. Fiduciary Alliance LLC now owns 1,420 shares of the construction company’s stock worth $1,000,000 after purchasing an additional 941 shares in the last quarter. Blueshift Asset Management LLC bought a new position in United Rentals during the 4th quarter valued at about $649,000. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in United Rentals by 7.6% in the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 732,954 shares of the construction company’s stock valued at $517,018,000 after buying an additional 52,037 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.26% of the company’s stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at United Rentals

In other news, CFO William E. Grace sold 1,100 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 completion of the transaction, the chief financial officer now owns 6,880 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $4,390,128. The trade was a 13.78 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.53% of the company’s stock.

United Rentals Stock Performance

Shares of United Rentals stock opened at $625.97 on Tuesday. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $684.08 and a two-hundred day moving average of $754.67. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 1.42, a quick ratio of 0.92 and a current ratio of 0.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $40.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 16.15, a PEG ratio of 1.43 and a beta of 1.76. United Rentals, Inc. has a 52 week low of $585.27 and a 52 week high of $896.98.

United Rentals (NYSE:URI) last released 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%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that United Rentals, Inc. will post 44.8 EPS for the current year.

United Rentals Increases Dividend

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Wednesday, February 26th. Investors of record on Wednesday, February 12th were issued a dividend of $1.79 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Wednesday, February 12th. This represents a $7.16 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.14%. This is a boost from United Rentals’s previous quarterly dividend of $1.63. United Rentals’s payout ratio is currently 18.48%.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on URI shares. Robert W. Baird raised United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “neutral” rating and set a $658.00 target price on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. Citigroup decreased their target price on United Rentals from $985.00 to $835.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, January 14th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on United Rentals from $940.00 to $1,000.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, January 31st. Morgan Stanley decreased their price objective 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. Finally, Sanford C. Bernstein upgraded shares of United Rentals from an “underperform” rating to a “market perform” rating and reduced their target price for the stock from $705.00 to $666.00 in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have assigned a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $804.15.

United Rentals 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.