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 dividend yield, AIT reads 0.5% and RS reads 1.2%; on p/b, AIT reads 6.83 and RS reads 2.81. The rest of the comparable metrics sit closer together. What AIT's price implies is a somewhat stretched bet versus history (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 | $336.94 | $385.59 |
| Market cap | $12.7B | $20.0B |
| Sector | Distribution | Distribution |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | +10.5% |
| P/E | 31.8 | 25.1 |
| P/B | 6.83 | 2.81 |
| P/S | 2.62 | 1.35 |
| EV/EBITDA | 23.4 | 15.5 |
| Revenue growth | +7.6% | +8.7% |
| Gross margin | 30.4% | — |
| Operating margin | 11.0% | 9.1% |
| Net margin | 8.3% | 5.4% |
| Return on equity | 21.7% | 11.3% |
| Return on assets | 13.5% | 7.4% |
| Return on invested capital | 17.4% | 9.5% |
| FCF yield | 3.5% | 3.0% |
| Dividend yield | 0.5% | 1.2% |
| Debt / equity | 0.20 | 0.24 |
| Current ratio | 2.95 | 4.39 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 9.46 | 6.08 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 8 / 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.