APPLIED INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC. vs RELIANCE, INC., two Distribution stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where AIT and RS diverge most: on p/b, AIT reads 6.62 and RS reads 2.93; on return on invested capital, AIT reads 19.4% and RS reads 9.5%. 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 RS'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 | RS |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $335.70 | $402.52 |
| Market cap | $12.3B | $20.9B |
| Sector | Distribution | Distribution |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | +13.3% |
| P/E | 30.7 | 26.2 |
| P/B | 6.62 | 2.93 |
| P/S | 2.48 | 1.41 |
| EV/EBITDA | 20.2 | 16.1 |
| Revenue growth | +8.8% | +8.7% |
| Gross margin | 30.4% | — |
| Operating margin | 11.8% | 9.1% |
| Net margin | 8.3% | 5.4% |
| Return on equity | 22.3% | 11.3% |
| Return on assets | 13.8% | 7.4% |
| Return on invested capital | 19.4% | 9.5% |
| FCF yield | 3.7% | 2.9% |
| Dividend yield | 0.6% | 1.2% |
| Debt / equity | 0.14 | 0.24 |
| Current ratio | 2.58 | 4.39 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 9.51 | 6.23 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 7 / 9 | 5 / 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.