APPLIED INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC. vs W.W. Grainger, Inc., two Distribution stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where AIT and GWW diverge most: on debt / equity, AIT reads 0.14 and GWW reads 0.53; on p/b, AIT reads 6.62 and GWW reads 13.49. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. What AIT's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). What GWW's price implies is a bet that sits within the historical range (whole-company basis). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | AIT | GWW |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $335.70 | $1289.88 |
| Market cap | $12.3B | $60.9B |
| Sector | Distribution | Distribution |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | +15.5% |
| P/E | 30.7 | 32.9 |
| P/B | 6.62 | 13.49 |
| P/S | 2.48 | 3.23 |
| EV/EBITDA | 20.2 | 20.4 |
| Revenue growth | +8.8% | +7.8% |
| Gross margin | 30.4% | 39.5% |
| Operating margin | 11.8% | 16.1% |
| Net margin | 8.3% | 9.9% |
| Return on equity | 22.3% | 41.4% |
| Return on assets | 13.8% | 19.4% |
| Return on invested capital | 19.4% | 29.8% |
| FCF yield | 3.7% | 2.5% |
| Dividend yield | 0.6% | 0.7% |
| Debt / equity | 0.14 | 0.53 |
| Current ratio | 2.58 | 2.81 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 9.51 | 10.00 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 6 / 9 |
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The stronger value is highlighted per metric where one is strictly better on that single number; it is not an overall verdict on either company. For informational and research purposes only. Not investment advice. Not a recommendation to buy, sell, or hold any security. boothcheck is not a registered investment adviser. Past performance does not guarantee future results.