United Rentals (URI) Competitors

W.W. Grainger (NYSE:GWW) and United Rentals (NYSE:URI) are both large-cap industrial products companies, but which is the better stock? We will compare the two companies based on the strength of their dividends, earnings, analyst recommendations, community ranking, risk, media sentiment, profitability, valuation and institutional ownership.

Does the media prefer GWW or URI?

In the previous week, United Rentals had 45 more articles in the media than W.W. Grainger. MarketBeat recorded 67 mentions for United Rentals and 22 mentions for W.W. Grainger. W.W. Grainger's average media sentiment score of 1.34 beat United Rentals' score of 1.08 indicating that W.W. Grainger is being referred to more favorably in the media.

Company	Very Positive	Positive	Neutral	Negative	Very Negative	Overall Sentiment
W.W. Grainger	18 Very Positive mention(s)	0 Positive mention(s)	4 Neutral mention(s)	0 Negative mention(s)	0 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive
United Rentals	35 Very Positive mention(s)	21 Positive mention(s)	5 Neutral mention(s)	1 Negative mention(s)	1 Very Negative mention(s)	Positive

Does the MarketBeat Community favor GWW or URI?

United Rentals received 216 more outperform votes than W.W. Grainger when rated by MarketBeat users. Likewise, 64.85% of users gave United Rentals an outperform vote while only 53.48% of users gave W.W. Grainger an outperform vote.

Company	Underperform	Outperform
W.W. Grainger	Outperform Votes 546 53.48%	Underperform Votes 475 46.52%
United Rentals	Outperform Votes 762 64.85%	Underperform Votes 413 35.15%

Which has more risk & volatility, GWW or URI?

W.W. Grainger has a beta of 1.18, indicating that its stock price is 18% more volatile than the S&P 500. Comparatively, United Rentals has a beta of 1.69, indicating that its stock price is 69% more volatile than the S&P 500.

Is GWW or URI a better dividend stock?

W.W. Grainger pays an annual dividend of $8.20 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.7%. United Rentals pays an annual dividend of $6.52 per share and has a dividend yield of 0.8%. W.W. Grainger pays out 22.2% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. United Rentals pays out 17.0% of its earnings in the form of a dividend. Both companies have healthy payout ratios and should be able to cover their dividend payments with earnings for the next several years. W.W. Grainger has raised its dividend for 54 consecutive years. United Rentals is clearly the better dividend stock, given its higher yield and lower payout ratio.

Which has higher earnings and valuation, GWW or URI?

United Rentals has lower revenue, but higher earnings than W.W. Grainger. United Rentals is trading at a lower price-to-earnings ratio than W.W. Grainger, indicating that it is currently the more affordable of the two stocks.

Company	Gross Revenue	Price/Sales Ratio	Net Income	Earnings Per Share	Price/Earnings Ratio
W.W. Grainger	$16.93B	3.20	$1.83B	$36.89	30.17
United Rentals	$14.33B	3.53	$2.42B	$38.29	20.13

Do insiders and institutionals believe in GWW or URI?

80.7% of W.W. Grainger shares are held by institutional investors. Comparatively, 96.3% of United Rentals shares are held by institutional investors. 9.5% of W.W. Grainger shares are held by insiders. Comparatively, 0.5% of United Rentals shares are held by insiders. Strong institutional ownership is an indication that endowments, large money managers and hedge funds believe a company will outperform the market over the long term.

Is GWW or URI more profitable?

United Rentals has a net margin of 17.12% compared to W.W. Grainger's net margin of 10.80%. W.W. Grainger's return on equity of 51.78% beat United Rentals' return on equity.

Company	Net Margins	Return on Equity	Return on Assets
W.W. Grainger	10.80%	51.78%	21.91%
United Rentals	17.12%	34.73%	10.62%

Do analysts rate GWW or URI?

W.W. Grainger presently has a consensus price target of $1,140.56, indicating a potential upside of 2.47%. United Rentals has a consensus price target of $805.08, indicating a potential upside of 4.45%. Given United Rentals' stronger consensus rating and higher probable upside, analysts plainly believe United Rentals is more favorable than W.W. Grainger.

Company	Sell Ratings	Hold Ratings	Buy Ratings	Strong Buy Ratings	Rating Score
W.W. Grainger	1 Sell rating(s)	9 Hold rating(s)	2 Buy rating(s)	1 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.23
United Rentals	1 Sell rating(s)	3 Hold rating(s)	10 Buy rating(s)	0 Strong Buy rating(s)	2.64

Summary

United Rentals beats W.W. Grainger on 14 of the 22 factors compared between the two stocks.