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 0.20 and GWW reads 0.56; on p/b, AIT reads 7.00 and GWW reads 15.09. 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 | $345.30 | $1382.23 |
| Market cap | $13.0B | $65.5B |
| Sector | Distribution | Distribution |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | +17.5% |
| P/E | 32.6 | 37.2 |
| P/B | 7.00 | 15.09 |
| P/S | 2.69 | 3.57 |
| EV/EBITDA | 24.0 | 22.8 |
| Revenue growth | +7.6% | +6.6% |
| Gross margin | 30.4% | 40.0% |
| Operating margin | 11.0% | 16.7% |
| Net margin | 8.3% | 9.7% |
| Return on equity | 21.7% | 41.0% |
| Return on assets | 13.5% | 18.8% |
| Return on invested capital | 17.4% | 29.0% |
| FCF yield | 3.4% | 2.1% |
| Dividend yield | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Debt / equity | 0.20 | 0.56 |
| Current ratio | 2.95 | 2.69 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 9.46 | 10.00 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 8 / 9 | 8 / 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.