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LECO vs. URI: Lincoln Electric vs. United Rentals Stock Comparison

How do Lincoln Electric (LECO) 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

Lincoln Electric (LECO) and United Rentals (URI) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but LECO is classified in Machinery while URI is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors.

Company profile comparison for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and United Rentals (URI)
Profile ItemLECOURI
NameLincoln Electric Holdings, Inc.United Rentals Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryMachineryTrading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-IndustryIndustrial Machinery & Supplies & ComponentsTrading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization14.91 billion USD65.36 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNasdaqNYSE
Listing DateApril 7, 1994December 18, 1997
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

LECO
URI
GSPC
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) 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 Lincoln Electric (LECO) and United Rentals (URI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricLECOURI
Total Return (1Y)27.30%35.39%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)17.31%38.68%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)16.33%24.76%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

LECO
URI
GSPC
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) 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 Lincoln Electric (LECO) and United Rentals (URI). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricLECOURI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)31.13%44.71%
Beta (5Y)1.171.81
Max Drawdown (5Y)-34.29%-39.76%
Avg. Volume (3M)409.99K496.78K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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LECO 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 Lincoln Electric (LECO) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricLECOURI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.740.70
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.111.16

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 38.75% and United Rentals (URI) at 30.56% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

38.75%

Max
40.55%
LECO
38.75%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
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%
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

For every dollar of sales, both Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 12.40% and United Rentals (URI) at 16.33% retain more as net profit than most peers, landing in the top net margin quartile of their industries.

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

12.40%

Max
27.47%
LECO
12.40%
Q3
12.10%
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%
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) 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 Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 18.29%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

18.29%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
LECO
18.29%
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%
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricLECOURI
ROE (TTM)38.75%30.56%
ROA (TTM)13.32%9.14%
Net Margin (TTM)12.40%16.33%
Operating Margin (TTM)18.29%29.21%
Gross Margin (TTM)35.54%39.19%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 5.60% 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.

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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 14.36% and United Rentals (URI) at -0.21% land near their industries' usual EPS growth ranges, so bottom-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricLECOURI
Revenue Growth (YoY)5.60%4.91%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)4.02%11.41%
EPS Growth (YoY)14.36%-0.21%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)5.05%9.20%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 1.91 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.

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

1.91

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
LECO
1.91
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
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 0.78 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while United Rentals (URI) at 1.64 uses more debt funding than most peers.

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

0.78

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
LECO
0.78
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
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) 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 Lincoln Electric (LECO) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricLECOURI
Current Ratio (MRQ)1.910.80
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.781.64
Net Debt / EBITDA1.003.12

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 1.16% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while United Rentals (URI) at 0.74% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, LECO the richer one.

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

1.16%

Max
2.66%
LECO
1.16%
Q3
1.14%
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%
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) 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% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 30.30% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

30.30%

Max
67.39%
LECO
30.30%
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%
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricLECOURI
Dividend Yield (TTM)1.16%0.74%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)30.30%16.95%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 26.40 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.

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

26.40

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
LECO
26.40
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
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) 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 Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 3.21 and United Rentals (URI) at 3.74 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

3.21

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
LECO
3.21
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
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Lincoln Electric (LECO) at 9.59 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.

LECO

Capital Goods industry group

9.59

Max
9.66
LECO
9.59
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
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Lincoln Electric (LECO) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Lincoln Electric (LECO) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricLECOURI
P/E Ratio (TTM)26.4023.24
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.213.74
P/B Ratio (MRQ)9.596.75
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)2.68%3.24%