GNRC vs. URI: Generac vs. United Rentals Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Generac (GNRC) 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

Generac (GNRC) and United Rentals (URI) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but GNRC is classified in Electrical Equipment while URI is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors.

Company profile comparison for Generac (GNRC) and United Rentals (URI)
Profile Item	GNRC	URI
Name	Generac Holdings Inc.	United Rentals Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Electrical Equipment	Trading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-Industry	Electrical Components & Equipment	Trading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization	10.43 billion USD	65.36 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	February 11, 2010	December 18, 1997
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

GNRC

URI

GSPC

Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) and United Rentals (URI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Generac (GNRC) and United Rentals (URI)
Metric	GNRC	URI
Total Return (1Y)	23.38%	35.39%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	23.05%	38.68%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	-15.31%	24.76%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

GNRC

URI

GSPC

Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) and United Rentals (URI). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Generac (GNRC) and United Rentals (URI)
Metric	GNRC	URI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	59.48%	44.71%
Beta (5Y)	1.84	1.81
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-81.73%	-39.76%
Avg. Volume (3M)	1.22M	496.78K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

GNRC 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 Generac (GNRC) and United Rentals (URI)
Metric	GNRC	URI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.32	0.70
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.50	1.16

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

United Rentals (URI) at 30.56% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Generac (GNRC) at 10.64% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for URI.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

10.64%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
GNRC: 10.64%
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%

Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) at 6.52%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

6.52%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
GNRC: 6.52%
Median: 6.30%
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%

Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) at 11.67%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

11.67%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
GNRC: 11.67%
Median: 11.12%
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%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Generac (GNRC) and United Rentals (URI)
Metric	GNRC	URI
ROE (TTM)	10.64%	30.56%
ROA (TTM)	4.24%	9.14%
Net Margin (TTM)	6.52%	16.33%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.67%	29.21%
Gross Margin (TTM)	38.18%	39.19%

Growth

Revenue Growth

United Rentals (URI) at 4.91% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Generac (GNRC) at -2.02% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) at -50.09% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker earnings momentum.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Generac (GNRC) and United Rentals (URI)
Metric	GNRC	URI
Revenue Growth (YoY)	-2.02%	4.91%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	-2.67%	11.41%
EPS Growth (YoY)	-50.09%	-0.21%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	-20.83%	9.20%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Generac (GNRC) at 1.97 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while United Rentals (URI) at 0.80 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for URI.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

1.97

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
GNRC: 1.97
Q1: 1.43
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

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Generac (GNRC) at 0.47 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while United Rentals (URI) at 1.64 uses more debt funding than most peers.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.47

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
GNRC: 0.47
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

Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) and United Rentals (URI)
Metric	GNRC	URI
Current Ratio (MRQ)	1.97	0.80
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.47	1.64
Net Debt / EBITDA	1.65	3.12

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Generac (GNRC) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile United Rentals (URI) reports a yield of 0.74%, ranking against industry peers normally.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
GNRC: 0.00%
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%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Generac (GNRC) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile United Rentals (URI) reports a payout of 16.95%, ranking against industry peers normally.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
GNRC: 0.00%
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%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Generac (GNRC) and United Rentals (URI)
Metric	GNRC	URI
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.00%	0.74%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	0.00%	16.95%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Generac (GNRC) at 34.87 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.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

34.87

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
GNRC: 34.87
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

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Generac (GNRC) at 2.26 and United Rentals (URI) at 3.74 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

2.26

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
GNRC: 2.26
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

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Generac (GNRC) at 3.46 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while United Rentals (URI) at 6.75 carries an above-peer premium to book — URI is pricier on assets.

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

3.46

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
GNRC: 3.46
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

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Generac (GNRC) and United Rentals (URI)
Metric	GNRC	URI
P/E Ratio (TTM)	34.87	23.24
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.26	3.74
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	3.46	6.75
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.21%	3.24%