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URI vs. XYL: United Rentals vs. Xylem Stock Comparison

How do United Rentals (URI) and Xylem (XYL) 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 Xylem (XYL) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but URI is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors while XYL is classified in Machinery.

Company profile comparison for United Rentals (URI) and Xylem (XYL)
Profile ItemURIXYL
NameUnited Rentals Inc.Xylem Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsMachinery
GICS Sub-IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsIndustrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization65.36 billion USD22.44 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateDecember 18, 1997October 13, 2011
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

URI
XYL
GSPC
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Xylem (XYL), 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 Xylem (XYL). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for United Rentals (URI) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricURIXYL
Total Return (1Y)35.39%-33.10%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)38.68%2.29%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)24.76%-4.47%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

URI
XYL
GSPC
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Xylem (XYL), 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 Xylem (XYL). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for United Rentals (URI) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricURIXYL
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)44.71%30.74%
Beta (5Y)1.810.96
Max Drawdown (5Y)-39.76%-44.89%
Avg. Volume (3M)496.78K2.60M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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URI and XYL 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 Xylem (XYL)
MetricURIXYL
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.70-1.22
Sortino Ratio (1Y)1.16-1.48

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

United Rentals (URI) at 30.56% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Xylem (XYL) at 9.76% 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

9.76%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
XYL
9.76%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) at 11.94%, 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

11.94%

Max
27.47%
Q3
12.10%
XYL
11.94%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) at 15.95%, 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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

15.95%

Max
36.60%
Q3
18.33%
XYL
15.95%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for United Rentals (URI) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricURIXYL
ROE (TTM)30.56%9.76%
ROA (TTM)9.14%5.07%
Net Margin (TTM)16.33%11.94%
Operating Margin (TTM)29.21%15.95%
Gross Margin (TTM)39.19%39.32%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both United Rentals (URI) at 4.91% and Xylem (XYL) at 5.52% 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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United Rentals (URI) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Both United Rentals (URI) at -0.21% and Xylem (XYL) at 7.40% 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. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for United Rentals (URI) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricURIXYL
Revenue Growth (YoY)4.91%5.52%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)11.41%17.84%
EPS Growth (YoY)-0.21%7.40%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)9.20%25.99%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both United Rentals (URI) at 0.80 and Xylem (XYL) at 1.39 run current ratio in the tighter-liquidity quartile of industry peers, leaving thinner cushions against current liabilities than typical competitors.

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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

1.39

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
XYL
1.39
Min
0.36
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Xylem (XYL) at 0.29 carries an industry-typical debt-to-equity mix, while United Rentals (URI) at 1.64 uses more debt funding than most peers.

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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

0.29

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
XYL
0.29
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL)
MetricURIXYL
Current Ratio (MRQ)0.801.39
Debt / Equity (MRQ)1.640.29
Net Debt / EBITDA3.121.18

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Xylem (XYL) at 1.69% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while United Rentals (URI) at 0.74% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, XYL the richer one.

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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

1.69%

Max
2.66%
XYL
1.69%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) at 37.47% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

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%

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

37.47%

Max
67.39%
XYL
37.47%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for United Rentals (URI) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricURIXYL
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.74%1.69%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)16.95%37.47%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both United Rentals (URI) at 23.24 and Xylem (XYL) at 21.69 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

21.69

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
XYL
21.69
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Xylem (XYL): 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 Xylem (XYL) at 2.48 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

2.48

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
XYL
2.48
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Xylem (XYL) at 2.19 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

XYL

Capital Goods industry group

2.19

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
XYL
2.19
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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United Rentals (URI) vs. Xylem (XYL): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for United Rentals (URI) and Xylem (XYL)
MetricURIXYL
P/E Ratio (TTM)23.2421.69
P/S Ratio (TTM)3.742.48
P/B Ratio (MRQ)6.752.19
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.24%5.39%