United Rentals' fourth-quarter earnings are a perfect reminder to focus on the long term -- not 90 days' worth of underwhelming data. Shares of leading equipment rental company United Rentals (URI 12.86%) are down 14% as of noon ET on Thursday after the company reported underwhelming fourth-quarter earnings. This notion rings true when looking at United Rental's slightly disappointing earnings today. This segment has grown by 20% annually since 2015, so it represents United Rental's growth engine. Trading at just 16 times forward earnings, United Rentals is a top-tier compounder available at a fair price.