How much a stock's price changes over time is important for most investors, since price performance can both impact your investment portfolio and help you compare investment results across sectors and industries.

Another thing that can drive investing is the fear of missing out, or FOMO. This particularly applies to tech giants and popular consumer-facing stocks.

What if you'd invested in United Rentals (URI Quick QuoteURI - Free Report) 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 across the globe, incorporated in 1997 and began trading publicly on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) under the ticker URI by year-end. As of Sept. 30, 2026, it operated a branch network of 1,795 global locations, including 1,686 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 $24.77 billion as of Sept. 30, 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.

General Rentals (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.

A $1000 investment made in October 2016 would be worth $14,725.03, or a gain of 1,372.50%, as of October 27, 2026, according to our calculations. This return excludes dividends but includes price appreciation.

The S&P 500 rose 258.82% and the price of gold increased 203.96% over the same time frame in comparison.

Looking ahead, analysts are expecting more upside for URI.

United Rentals' third-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings and total revenues topped the Zacks Consensus Estimate by 12.4% and 4.3% and grew year over year by 32.9% and 15.7%, respectively. Large projects across infrastructure, power and industrial markets are sustaining rental demand. Fleet investment and selective acquisitions extend the company's reach, while cash generation supports shareholder returns, with the recent investment-grade upgrade adding financial flexibility. Construction cyclicality, competitive pricing and uneven energy activity remain risks, but the company's diverse fleet and project exposure support its longer-term growth case. Management's raised outlook reflects customer backlogs and disciplined execution. Shares of United Rentals have outperformed its industry over the past three months.

Shares have gained 7.47% over the past four weeks and there have been 6 higher earnings estimate revisions for fiscal 2026 compared to none lower. The consensus estimate has moved up as well.