URI vs WSC: How United Rentals and WillScot Holdings Corporation rents adaptable workspace and storage to businesses across the United States Compare (2026)

Same yardstick, side by side (as of August 2026). Valuation lined up like this is most meaningful for two names in the same corner of the market, which these are. Figures are approximate; verify before investing.

The metrics above tell you which is the marginally better business. The bigger risk for most people is not picking the slightly worse stock, it is over-concentrating. URI and WSC share themes, so owning both, or adding either to what you already hold, can quietly push a large share of your portfolio into one bet.

This is the part a generic comparison page cannot answer, because it depends on what you own. Connect your brokerage and Walnut shows your real, combined URI and WSC exposure, flags overlap with your existing positions, and tells you if adding one would tip you past a concentration you are comfortable with, read-only by default, with your login staying at your broker. Walnut is not an investment adviser.

United Rentals, Inc. rents construction and industrial equipment (aerial work platforms, earthmoving machines, generators, pumps, trench safety gear, and a growing specialty fleet) across roughly 1,600 locations in North America and beyond. Rather than sell equipment, it earns recurring rental revenue by keeping a large fleet utilized, and it has grown for years through both organic expansion and a steady stream of acquisitions that consolidate a highly fragmented market. It holds an industry-leading share of the North American rental market, well ahead of the next-largest players.

Full URI guide

WillScot Holdings Corporation rents adaptable workspace and storage to businesses across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Its Modular Solutions line covers mobile offices, ground-level offices, single-wide and sectional complexes (including the Redi-Plex and FLEX product families), classrooms, blast-resistant modules, and clearspan structures. Its Storage Solutions line covers portable steel containers and climate-controlled units. Roughly 96% of revenue comes from leasing and services rather than unit sales, and the company layers on value-added products and services (VAPS) such as furniture, steps, HVAC, connectivity, and damage waivers, which reached ~17.7% of total revenue in Q1 2026. WillScot holds roughly half the North American modular space rental market and about a quarter of portable storage, several times the size of the next competitor.

Full WSC guide

Both fit overlapping themes, but they are not interchangeable. The useful comparison is which set of drivers and risks you want exposure to.

• URI drivers: Non-residential and infrastructure demand; Specialty segment mix shift.
• WSC drivers: Large projects: data centers, power, and manufacturing; The leasing inflection in the second half of 2026.

A faster-growing, richer-valued name usually swings harder, so it suits a longer horizon and a higher tolerance for volatility; a steadier, more cash-generative business suits a more conservative or income-minded investor. The honest test is which set of risks you could hold through a drawdown: URI is deeply cyclical, so a recession or a sustained slowdown in construction and industrial activity would lower utilization, pricing, and profits. For WSC, the core cyclical risk is unresolved: nonresidential construction starts by square footage were down roughly 6% year over year, the Architecture Billings Index has been contracting, and units on rent have been declining, so the second-half inflection is a forecast rather than a fact.

Growth-minded investors who believe the theme has years to run tend to accept the richer multiple for more upside; value-minded investors lean toward the cheaper forward earnings and steadier profile. Pick URI if you believe its drivers more; WSC if you believe its. Many investors hold both, but since they share themes, that is a concentrated bet, not diversification. Decide deliberately and check overlap. For the full detail, see the URI and WSC guides.

URI. United Rentals reported record Q1 2026 revenue of about $3.99 billion (up roughly 7% year over year) with adjusted EPS near $9.71, and it raised full-year revenue and EBITDA guidance. The stock traded near $1,090 in early July 2026 after a strong run, putting its valuation modestly above its own history on a mid-20s to high-20s earnings multiple. Figures are approximate and drawn from public filings and market data.

WSC. WSC screens oddly on headline metrics: there is no meaningful trailing P/E because impairments, depreciation, and interest push GAAP net income negative, so the market values it on EBITDA, free cash flow, and forward earnings (a forward P/E near the low 20s at a ~$4.7 billion market cap). Adjusted free cash flow was ~$116 million in Q1 2026 alone, which is why the balance sheet keeps deleveraging despite the reported loss. Q2 2026 results are due in early August 2026, and management guided to ~$585 million of revenue with roughly 30 basis points of sequential margin pressure from unit preparation costs and event work.

Headline figures (approximate, July 2026): URI shows revenue (ttm) ~$16.4B, fy2026 revenue guidance ~$16.9B to $17.4B, adjusted ebitda guidance (fy2026) ~$7.6B to $7.9B, market cap ~$68B; WSC shows revenue (ttm) ~$2.27B (-4% YoY), q1 2026 revenue ~$549M (-1.9% YoY), q1 2026 adjusted ebitda ~$211M (~38.5% margin), net income (ttm) ~-$68M (EPS ~-$0.38).

URI and WSC are related but distinct: same themes, different businesses and risks. Neither wins in the abstract; the right pick is whichever thesis you actually believe, sized so you are not over-concentrated in one theme. Walnut can show your combined URI and WSC exposure against your real portfolio. It is not an investment adviser.