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Written by Selena Maranjian for The Motley Fool->
United Rentals is a giant rental provider of all kinds of equipment.
It will likely grow due to the expansion of data centers.
International growth could fuel it further.
Most people probably don't know much about United Rentals (NYSE: URI), but it's worth getting to know more about, as it might make you considerably more wealthy. It's not a well-known high-tech stock. Instead, it's the world's largest equipment rental company, with around 1,500 locations worldwide and roughly 4,800 classes of equipment available to rent -- such as forklifts, excavators, storage containers, porta potties, generators, hand tools, and trucks.
Before you start dozing off, know this: Its stock has averaged annual gains of 26% over the past 15 years and 31% over the past decade. Could its shares soar for you, too? What if you invested, say, $10,000 in United Rentals? Let's see.
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Here are a few reasons to consider United Rentals for your long-term portfolio.
It sports a powerful growth catalyst in data centers, which are proliferating across America (and elsewhere) and which are needed for artificial intelligence (AI) equipment and processing. As a Motley Fool research report on AI spending has noted, technology companies spent $1 trillion on data center construction in 2025 -- and that sum is expected to jump to $4 trillion by 2030.
It's mostly based in the U.S., and may replicate its model and success internationally, which gives it a lot of room for further growth.
The stock seems reasonably valued to somewhat overvalued at current levels, with a recent price-to-earnings (P/E) ratio of 24.5 and a price-to-sales ratio of 3.75. Those numbers do seem a bit on the steep side, but the company is growing at a good clip, which can justify higher valuations. Its first-quarter revenue rose 7% year over year, with rental revenue rising 8.7% and adjusted earnings per share up 10%.
CEO Matt Flannery has said: "I am confident the combination of our resilient business model, prudent capital allocation, and balance sheet strength will allow us to continue to drive profitable growth, generate strong free cash flow, and deliver compelling returns to our investors."
So how might you amass "serious wealth" via an investment in United Rentals? Well, let's use a single $10,000 investment, and let's assume that it grows at 16% annually. (We can't assume that it will maintain those past annual growth rates of 26% or 31%, after all, and it's possible that 16% will be too high -- or too low.)
That single investment would grow to $44,114 over 10 years, to $194,608 over 20 years, and to $858,499 over 30 years. What if you invested $10,000 per year, though? Then you'd end up with $247,329 after 10 years, $1.3 million after 20 years, and $6.2 million after 30 years.
There's no guarantee of any of this, of course, and the data center boom may not last for 10, 20, or 30 years. Still, United Rentals does seem capable of delivering meaningful growth as part of a diversified long-term stock portfolio.
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Selena Maranjian has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has no position in any of the stocks mentioned. The Motley Fool has a disclosure policy.
The views and opinions expressed herein are the views and opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of Nasdaq, Inc.
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