APPLIED INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC. vs HENRY SCHEIN, INC., two Distribution stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where AIT and HSIC diverge most: on debt / equity, AIT reads 0.14 and HSIC reads 0.91; on return on assets, AIT reads 13.8% and HSIC reads 3.5%. 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 HSIC'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 | HSIC |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $335.70 | $84.00 |
| Market cap | $12.3B | $9.4B |
| Sector | Distribution | Distribution |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | +3.3% |
| P/E | 30.7 | 24.5 |
| P/B | 6.62 | 2.45 |
| P/S | 2.48 | 0.69 |
| EV/EBITDA | 20.2 | 12.4 |
| Revenue growth | +8.8% | +6.5% |
| Gross margin | 30.4% | 31.8% |
| Operating margin | 11.8% | 5.0% |
| Net margin | 8.3% | 3.0% |
| Return on equity | 22.3% | 10.6% |
| Return on assets | 13.8% | 3.5% |
| Return on invested capital | 19.4% | 7.4% |
| FCF yield | 3.7% | 6.1% |
| Dividend yield | 0.6% | — |
| Debt / equity | 0.14 | 0.91 |
| Current ratio | 2.58 | 1.32 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 9.51 | 2.60 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 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.