Greenwich, CT - United Rentals Inc. has announced financial results for the fourth quarter and full year 2010. For the fourth quarter, total revenue was $597 million and rental revenue was $497 million, compared with $557 million and $450 million, respectively, for the fourth quarter 2009.

2010 Highlights

• Rental revenue increased 10.4% for the fourth quarter 2010, compared with the fourth quarter last year, reflecting year-over-year increases of 1.2% in rental rates and 14.3% in same store rental revenues.
• Time utilization for the fourth quarter 2010 was 69.3%, an increase of 7.5 percentage points from the same period last year, and a fourth quarter record for the company. Time utilization for the full year 2010 was 65.6%, an increase of 4.9 percentage points from 2009, and a full year record for the company.
• Free cash flow was $227 million for the full year 2010, compared with $367 million for 2009. Full year net rental capital expenditures (defined as purchases of rental equipment less the proceeds from sales of rental equipment) were $202 million, compared with $31 million in 2009.
• SG&A expense decreased by $4 million for the fourth quarter 2010 year-over-year, and decreased by $41 million for the full year 2010 compared with 2009.
• Cost of equipment rentals, excluding depreciation, increased by $25 million for the fourth quarter 2010, compared with 2009, including an $18 million non-cash charge to increase the company's self-insurance reserve. For the full year 2010, cost of equipment rentals increased by $14 million, reflecting higher transaction volume and the self-insurance charge, substantially offset by structural cost savings.
• For the full year 2010, the company recognized $144 million from sales of rental equipment at a gross margin of 28.5%, compared with $229 million from sales of rental equipment at a gross margin of 3.1% last year.

2011 Outlook

The company provided the following financial targets for full year 2011:

• An increase in rental rates of at least 5% year-over-year;
• An increase in time utilization of approximately 1 percentage point year-over-year; and
• Free cash flow in the range of $10 million to $50 million, including net rental capital expenditures of between $425 million and $475 million. Gross rental purchases are anticipated to be approximately $625 million.

CEO Comments

Michael Kneeland, chief executive officer of United Rentals, said, "We once again outperformed our markets, with double-digit increases in rental revenue and volume, and record time utilization for the quarter. Underlying these numbers is a systemic focus on profitability that has helped us limit costs and turn the corner on rates. Our year-over-year rate performance was positive for the first time in 15 quarters, driven by an increase in demand and our internal pricing initiatives. This is a very strong close to the year, and gives us excellent momentum going into 2011."

Kneeland continued, "This year is about profitable growth for United Rentals. We are continuing to strengthen our metrics, our margins and the levers that drive them, particularly our customer service structure. Our strategy has been to stay in front of key customer segments through the worst of times, earning their confidence for exactly this point in the cycle. As a result, we expect to outpace what we see as a modest recovery in our end markets."

2010 Financial Results