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URI vs. WSO.B: United Rentals vs. Watsco Stock Comparison

How do United Rentals (URI) and Watsco (WSO.B) 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

United Rentals (URI) and Watsco (WSO.B) are both classified in the Trading Companies & Distributors sub-industry within the broader Trading Companies & Distributors industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Company profile comparison for United Rentals (URI) and Watsco (WSO.B)
Profile ItemURIWSO.B
NameUnited Rentals Inc.Watsco Inc. Class B Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsTrading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsTrading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization65.36 billion USD12.92 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateDecember 18, 1997March 17, 1980
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

URI
WSO.B
GSPC
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Watsco (WSO.B), 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 United Rentals (URI) and Watsco (WSO.B). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for United Rentals (URI) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricURIWSO.B
Total Return (1Y)35.39%-11.21%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)38.68%-3.05%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)24.76%4.30%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

URI
WSO.B
GSPC
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Watsco (WSO.B), 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 United Rentals (URI) and Watsco (WSO.B). 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 Watsco (WSO.B) is defensive at 0.64 and tends to be less market-sensitive — they sit on opposite ends of the beta spectrum.

Risk profile metrics for United Rentals (URI) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricURIWSO.B
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)44.71%40.28%
Beta (5Y)1.810.64
Max Drawdown (5Y)-39.76%-43.41%
Avg. Volume (3M)496.78K74

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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URI and WSO.B 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 United Rentals (URI) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricURIWSO.B
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.70-0.38
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.16-0.57

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

United Rentals (URI) at 30.56% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Watsco (WSO.B) at 16.21% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for URI.

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%

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

16.21%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
WSO.B
16.21%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): 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 Watsco (WSO.B) at 6.31%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

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%

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

6.31%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
WSO.B
6.31%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): 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 Watsco (WSO.B) at 10.14%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

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%

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

10.14%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
WSO.B
10.14%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for United Rentals (URI) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricURIWSO.B
ROE (TTM)30.56%16.21%
ROA (TTM)9.14%8.27%
Net Margin (TTM)16.33%6.31%
Operating Margin (TTM)29.21%10.14%
Gross Margin (TTM)39.19%27.18%

Growth

Revenue Growth

United Rentals (URI) at 4.91% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Watsco (WSO.B) at -4.98% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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United Rentals (URI) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both United Rentals (URI) at -0.21% and Watsco (WSO.B) at -7.47% 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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United Rentals (URI) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for United Rentals (URI) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricURIWSO.B
Revenue Growth (YoY)4.91%-4.98%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)11.41%-0.16%
EPS Growth (YoY)-0.21%-7.47%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)9.20%-6.89%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Watsco (WSO.B) at 3.15 carries current ratio above its industry’s typical mid-range, while United Rentals (URI) at 0.80 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — different working-capital profiles, both worth examining.

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

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

3.15

Max
5.22
WSO.B
3.15
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Watsco (WSO.B) at 0.16 keeps leverage in the lower quartile, while United Rentals (URI) at 1.64 sits in the higher-leverage quartile.

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

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

0.16

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
WSO.B
0.16
Min
0.00
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for United Rentals (URI) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricURIWSO.B
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.803.15
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.640.16
Net Debt / EBITDA3.12-0.14

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

United Rentals (URI) at 0.74% pays an industry-typical yield; Watsco (WSO.B) at 4.02% is above its entire peer range — the higher number, but one that calls for a look at payout sustainability before treating it as an advantage.

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%

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

4.02%

WSO.B
4.02%
Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Watsco (WSO.B) reports payout ratio above 100% at 109.66%, meaning dividends exceeded current-period earnings and sustainability needs extra context. Meanwhile United Rentals (URI) reports 16.95%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

109.66%

WSO.B
109.66%
Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for United Rentals (URI) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricURIWSO.B
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.74%4.02%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)16.95%109.66%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both United Rentals (URI) at 23.24 and Watsco (WSO.B) at 27.26 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

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

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

27.26

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
WSO.B
27.26
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both United Rentals (URI) at 3.74 and Watsco (WSO.B) at 1.74 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

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

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

1.74

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
WSO.B
1.74
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Watsco (WSO.B) at 3.99 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.

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

WSO.B

Capital Goods industry group

3.99

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
WSO.B
3.99
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Watsco (WSO.B): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for United Rentals (URI) and Watsco (WSO.B)
MetricURIWSO.B
P/E Ratio (TTM)23.2427.26
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.741.74
P/B Ratio (MRQ)6.753.99
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.24%3.50%