For most investors, how much a stock's price changes over time is important. Not only can it impact your investment portfolio, but it can also help you compare investment results across sectors and industries.
Another factor that can influence investors is FOMO, or the fear of missing out, especially with tech giants and popular consumer-facing stocks.
What if you'd invested in United Rentals (URI) ten years ago? It may not have been easy to hold on to URI for all that time, but if you did, how much would your investment be worth today?
United Rentals' Business In-Depth
With that in mind, let's take a look at United Rentals' main business drivers.
Headquartered in Stamford, CT, United Rentals, Inc. is the largest equipment rental company in the world. As of March 31, 2026, it operated a branch network of 1,767 global locations, including 1,658 in North America, with a smaller presence in Europe, Australia and New Zealand. In North America, the company operates in 49 U.S. states and every Canadian province. The rental fleet had a total original equipment cost (“OEC”) of $22.59 billion as of March 31, 2026, and the company offers approximately 4,800 classes of equipment for rent on an hourly, daily, weekly, or monthly basis. Equipment rentals represented 86% of total revenues in 2025.
The company’s customer base includes construction and industrial companies, utilities, municipalities, government agencies, independent contractors, homeowners and other individuals who use equipment for projects that range from simple repairs to major renovations. The company’s principal products and services are equipment rental, sale of rental equipment, new equipment, contractor supplies, services and others.
United Rentals serves customers as a single-source solution provided through two business segments: General Rentals and Specialty or Trench, Power and Fluid Solutions.
General Rentals (contributed 68.3% to total revenues in 2025) includes the rental of construction, aerial and industrial equipment, general tools and light equipment, along with related services and activities. The segment consists of the rental of the following: i) general construction and industrial equipment, ii) aerial work platforms, and iii) general tools and light equipment. The general rentals segment is comprised of four geographic divisions - Central, Northeast, Southeast and West - and operates throughout the United States and Canada.
Specialty (31.7%) includes the rental of specialty construction products and related services like trench safety equipment, power and HVAC equipment, and fluid solutions equipment. It also includes mobile storage, modular office space and surface protection mats, and provides setup and other services on certain rented equipment. The Specialty business primarily operates in the United States and Canada, with a smaller international footprint.
Bottom Line
Anyone can invest, but building a successful investment portfolio requires research, patience, and a little bit of risk. So, if you had invested in United Rentals, ten years ago, you're likely feeling pretty good about your investment today.
According to our calculations, a $1000 investment made in June 2016 would be worth $14,718.81, or a gain of 1,371.88%, as of June 24, 2026, and this return excludes dividends but includes price increases.
Compare this to the S&P 500's rally of 248.53% and gold's return of 199.44% over the same time frame.
Analysts are anticipating more upside for URI.
Shares of United Rentals have outperformed the industry in the past six months. The company is benefiting from higher rental volumes, improved fleet productivity and continued expansion in the specialty segment. The company's ongoing tuck-in acquisition strategy and investments in digital capabilities are enhancing its service offering and strengthening customer retention across cycles. Management raised full-year guidance and expects strong free cash flow, supported by used equipment demand and early cost actions. Earnings estimates for 2026 have increased in the past 30 days, depicting analysts' optimism. However, risks remain from margin variability driven by delivery costs, depreciation and revenue mix. Additionally, the inherently cyclical nature of the North American equipment rental market and competitive pressures remain key concerns.
The stock is up 10.41% over the past four weeks, and no earnings estimate has gone lower in the past two months, compared to 3 higher, for fiscal 2026. The consensus estimate has moved up as well.
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United Rentals, Inc. (URI): Free Stock Analysis Report
This article originally published on Zacks Investment Research (zacks.com).