What if you'd held URI?
A $1,000 investment in United Rentals, Inc. (URI) at the month-end close of 1997-12 would be worth $60,088 at the close of 2026-08 — +5908.8% total return, dividends reinvested. The same $1,000 in the S&P 500 would be worth $7,943.
Your scenario
Result
If you'd bought $1,000 at the start of each year
Value of $1,000 invested on January 1 of each year, held to 2026-08, dividends included.
Every year, $1,000 from 1997
| Year | Value of $1,000 | Year return |
|---|---|---|
| 1997 | $1,000 | — |
| 1998 | $1,715 | +71.5% |
| 1999 | $887 | -48.3% |
| 2000 | $696 | -21.5% |
| 2001 | $1,175 | +68.9% |
| 2002 | $557 | -52.6% |
| 2003 | $997 | +79.0% |
| 2004 | $978 | -1.9% |
| 2005 | $1,211 | +23.8% |
| 2006 | $1,317 | +8.7% |
| 2007 | $951 | -27.8% |
| 2008 | $472 | -50.3% |
| 2009 | $508 | +7.5% |
| 2010 | $1,178 | +132.0% |
| 2011 | $1,530 | +29.9% |
| 2012 | $2,357 | +54.0% |
| 2013 | $4,037 | +71.2% |
| 2014 | $5,282 | +30.9% |
| 2015 | $3,756 | -28.9% |
| 2016 | $5,467 | +45.6% |
| 2017 | $8,902 | +62.8% |
| 2018 | $5,309 | -40.4% |
| 2019 | $8,636 | +62.7% |
| 2020 | $12,009 | +39.1% |
| 2021 | $17,208 | +43.3% |
| 2022 | $18,405 | +7.0% |
| 2023 | $30,114 | +63.6% |
| 2024 | $37,331 | +24.0% |
| 2025 | $43,273 | +15.9% |
| 2026 | $60,088 | +38.9% |
Best and worst month-end to buy
The best single month-end close to have bought URI was 2009-02 ($3.90): $1,000 then is $286,421 today. The worst was 2026-06 ($1,131): $1,000 then is $988.
FAQ
What would $1,000 in URI be worth today?
A $1,000 investment in United Rentals, Inc. (URI) at the start of 1997 would be worth about $60,088 today, a total return of +5908.8%. Dividends are reinvested in these figures.
What were the best and worst years for URI?
United Rentals, Inc. (URI)'s strongest calendar year since 1997 was 2010, a +132.0% return — $1,000 held through that year became about $2,320 by year-end. Its weakest year was 2002, at -52.6%.
Does the calculator include dividends and splits?
Yes where available. Prices are adjusted for both stock splits and reinvested dividends (total return), the same measure brokerages use.
How much would $100 per month in URI have grown?
Investing $100 at the end of every month since 1997-12 would have grown to about $1.37M on $34,500 invested.
Did URI beat the S&P 500?
Over the same period, $1,000 in the S&P 500 index would be worth $7,943. URI beat the S&P 500 by +656.5% in total return.
Is this investment advice?
No. Wall Street Regrets is an entertainment and education tool. Every number is a historical calculation, not a prediction, and past performance never guarantees future results.
Methodology
United Rentals, Inc. (URI) historical total-return data from 1997-12 to 2026-08, reduced to month-end closes for the tables above.
Returns use adjusted close prices from Yahoo Finance historical data — adjusted for stock splits and reinvested dividends — the same convention used by major brokerages. A "year" scenario invests $1,000 at the prior December's month-end close and values it at the latest available month-end close. Non-USD amounts are converted at historical month-end exchange rates (Yahoo Finance): to USD on the buy date and back to your currency at the latest rate, so the return reflects the currency move as well as the asset.
Month-end resolution means intra-month extremes are not captured in tables; the calculator uses exact trading-day closes where daily data is available. Figures ignore taxes, fees, and the currency effects of non-USD listings. History is not a forecast. Wall Street Regrets is entertainment, not investment advice.
What if you'd held…
Data: adjusted close prices via Yahoo Finance. As of 2026-08. Not financial advice.