FER vs. URI: Ferrovial vs. United Rentals Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Ferrovial (FER) and United Rentals (URI) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Ferrovial (FER) and United Rentals (URI) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but FER is classified in Construction & Engineering while URI is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors.

Company profile comparison for Ferrovial (FER) and United Rentals (URI)
Profile Item	FER	URI
Name	Ferrovial N.V.	United Rentals Inc.
Country/Region	Netherlands	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Construction & Engineering	Trading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-Industry	Construction & Engineering	Trading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization	42.19 billion USD	65.36 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	Nasdaq	NYSE
Listing Date	August 13, 2012	December 18, 1997
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

FER

URI

GSPC

Ferrovial (FER) vs. United Rentals (URI), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Ferrovial (FER) and United Rentals (URI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Ferrovial (FER) and United Rentals (URI). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Ferrovial (FER) and United Rentals (URI)
Metric	FER	URI
Total Return (1Y)	-1.10%	35.39%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	26.01%	38.68%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	17.20%	24.76%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

FER

URI

GSPC

Ferrovial (FER) vs. United Rentals (URI), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Ferrovial (FER) and United Rentals (URI). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

United Rentals (URI) has an aggressive beta of 1.81, indicating higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, while Ferrovial (FER) is defensive at 0.36 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for Ferrovial (FER) and United Rentals (URI)
Metric	FER	URI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	27.38%	44.71%
Beta (5Y)	0.36	1.81
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-33.67%	-39.76%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.95M	496.78K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

FER and URI are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Ferrovial (FER) and United Rentals (URI)
Metric	FER	URI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	-0.20	0.70
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	-0.30	1.16

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

United Rentals (URI) at 30.56% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Ferrovial (FER) at 11.62% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for URI.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

11.62%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
FER: 11.62%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

URI

Capital Goods industry group

30.56%

Max: 40.55%
URI: 30.56%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Ferrovial (FER) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

United Rentals (URI) at 16.33% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Ferrovial (FER) at 6.15%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

6.15%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
FER: 6.15%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

URI

Capital Goods industry group

16.33%

Max: 27.47%
URI: 16.33%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

Ferrovial (FER) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

United Rentals (URI) at 29.21% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Ferrovial (FER) at 10.45%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

10.45%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
FER: 10.45%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

URI

Capital Goods industry group

29.21%

Max: 36.60%
URI: 29.21%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

Ferrovial (FER) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Ferrovial (FER) and United Rentals (URI)
Metric	FER	URI
ROE (TTM)	11.62%	30.56%
ROA (TTM)	2.62%	9.14%
Net Margin (TTM)	6.15%	16.33%
Operating Margin (TTM)	10.45%	29.21%
Gross Margin (TTM)	87.14%	39.19%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Ferrovial (FER) at 5.24% and United Rentals (URI) at 4.91% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Ferrovial (FER) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

United Rentals (URI) at -0.21% is around its peer norm for EPS growth, while Ferrovial (FER) at -72.26% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

Ferrovial (FER) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Ferrovial (FER) and United Rentals (URI)
Metric	FER	URI
Revenue Growth (YoY)	5.24%	4.91%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	8.43%	11.41%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-72.26%	-0.21%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	70.54%	9.20%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Ferrovial (FER) at 1.20 and United Rentals (URI) at 0.80 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

1.20

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
FER: 1.20
Min: 0.36

URI

Capital Goods industry group

0.80

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
URI: 0.80
Min: 0.36

Ferrovial (FER) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Ferrovial (FER) at 1.44 and United Rentals (URI) at 1.64 lean more heavily on debt funding than most peers, landing in the higher-leverage quartile of their industries.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

1.44

Max: 2.33
FER: 1.44
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

URI

Capital Goods industry group

1.64

Max: 2.33
URI: 1.64
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Ferrovial (FER) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Ferrovial (FER) and United Rentals (URI)
Metric	FER	URI
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.20	0.80
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	1.44	1.64
Net Debt / EBITDA	4.39	3.12

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Ferrovial (FER) at 0.94% and United Rentals (URI) at 0.74% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

0.94%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
FER: 0.94%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

URI

Capital Goods industry group

0.74%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
URI: 0.74%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Ferrovial (FER) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

United Rentals (URI) at 16.95% keeps its payout in the industry’s typical band, while Ferrovial (FER) at 71.24% pays out more than any of its peers — the most stretched cover in its group.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

71.24%

FER: 71.24%
Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

URI

Capital Goods industry group

16.95%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
URI: 16.95%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Ferrovial (FER) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Ferrovial (FER) and United Rentals (URI)
Metric	FER	URI
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.94%	0.74%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	71.24%	16.95%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Ferrovial (FER) at 32.26 and United Rentals (URI) at 23.24 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

32.26

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
FER: 32.26
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

URI

Capital Goods industry group

23.24

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
URI: 23.24
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Ferrovial (FER) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

United Rentals (URI) at 3.74 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Ferrovial (FER) at 4.28 sits in the pricier quartile — FER costs more per dollar of sales.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

4.28

Max: 7.54
FER: 4.28
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

URI

Capital Goods industry group

3.74

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
URI: 3.74
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

Ferrovial (FER) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Ferrovial (FER) at 6.59 and United Rentals (URI) at 6.75 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

FER

Capital Goods industry group

6.59

Max: 9.66
FER: 6.59
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

URI

Capital Goods industry group

6.75

Max: 9.66
URI: 6.75
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

Ferrovial (FER) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Ferrovial (FER) and United Rentals (URI)
Metric	FER	URI
P/E Ratio (TTM)	32.26	23.24
P/S Ratio (TTM)	4.28	3.74
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	6.59	6.75
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	2.11%	3.24%