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Here's How Much a $1000 Investment in United Rentals Made 10 Years Ago Would Be Worth Today
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.
FOMO, or the fear of missing out, also plays a role in investing, particularly with tech giants and popular consumer-facing stocks.
What if you'd invested in United RentalsURI-- (URI) ten years ago? It may not have been easy to hold on to URIURI-- 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 June 30, 2026, it operated a branch network of 1,774 global locations, including 1,665 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 $23.8 billion as of June 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 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 August 2016 would be worth $14,950.34, or a gain of 1,395.03%, as of August 5, 2026, and this return excludes dividends but includes price increases.
The S&P 500 rose 257.47% and the price of gold increased 188.10% over the same time frame in comparison.
Looking ahead, analysts are expecting more upside for URI.
United Rentals' second-quarter 2026 adjusted earnings and revenues beat the Zacks Consensus Estimate, while increasing 21.9% and 11.8% year over year, respectively. The company benefited from record rental activity, higher fleet productivity and continued specialty demand. Rental revenues rose 12.7%, supported by growth across both General Rentals and Specialty. Management raised its 2026 revenue and adjusted EBITDA outlook, citing large-project activity, customer backlogs and year-to-date momentum. Operating cash flow increased, net leverage improved and liquidity remained adequate. Shares have also outperformed the industry in the past six months. Although Specialty gross margin contracted on revenue mix and risks remain from higher capital spending, debt and cyclicality, the company's scale and demand visibility remain key positives.
Over the past four weeks, shares have rallied 8.91%, and there have been 7 higher earnings estimate revisions in the past two months for fiscal 2026 compared to none lower. 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).
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