United Rentals currently trades at $850 and has been a dream stock for shareholders. It’s returned 441% since December 2019, blowing past the S&P 500’s 92.7% gain. The company has also beaten the index over the past six months as its stock price is up 34.8%.
Following the strength, is URI a buy right now? Or is the market overestimating its value? Find out in our full research report, it’s free.
Why Is URI a Good Business?
Owning the largest rental fleet in the world, United Rentals (NYSE:URI) provides equipment rental and related services to construction, industrial, and infrastructure industries.
1. Long-Term Revenue Growth Shows Strong Momentum
Reviewing a company’s long-term sales performance reveals insights into its quality. Any business can have short-term success, but a top-tier one grows for years. Over the last five years, United Rentals grew its sales at a solid 10.2% compounded annual growth rate. Its growth beat the average industrials company and shows its offerings resonate with customers. 
2. Core Business Firing on All Cylinders
Investors interested in Specialty Equipment Distributors companies should track organic revenue in addition to reported revenue. This metric gives visibility into United Rentals’s core business because it excludes one-time events such as mergers, acquisitions, and divestitures along with foreign currency fluctuations - non-fundamental factors that can manipulate the income statement.
Over the last two years, United Rentals’s organic revenue averaged 12% year-on-year growth. This performance was impressive and shows it can expand quickly without relying on expensive (and risky) acquisitions. 
3. Outstanding Long-Term EPS Growth
Analyzing the long-term change in earnings per share (EPS) shows whether a company's incremental sales were profitable – for example, revenue could be inflated through excessive spending on advertising and promotions.
United Rentals’s EPS grew at an astounding 17.9% compounded annual growth rate over the last five years, higher than its 10.2% annualized revenue growth. This tells us the company became more profitable on a per-share basis as it expanded.
Final Judgment
These are just a few reasons United Rentals is a high-quality business worth owning, and with its shares outperforming the market lately, the stock trades at 18.7× forward price-to-earnings (or $850 per share). Is now a good time to initiate a position? See for yourself in our full research report, it’s free.
Stocks We Like Even More Than United Rentals
With rates dropping, inflation stabilizing, and the elections in the rearview mirror, all signs point to the start of a new bull run - and we’re laser-focused on finding the best stocks for this upcoming cycle.
Put yourself in the driver’s seat by checking out our Top 5 Strong Momentum Stocks for this week. This is a curated list of our High Quality stocks that have generated a market-beating return of 175% over the last five years.
Stocks that made our list in 2019 include now familiar names such as Nvidia (+2,691% between September 2019 and September 2024) as well as under-the-radar businesses like Comfort Systems (+783% five-year return). Find your next big winner with StockStory today for free.
