APPLIED INDUSTRIAL TECHNOLOGIES, INC. vs WATSCO INC, two Distribution stocks. A side-by-side on valuation, growth, margins, returns, and what each price is betting.
Where AIT and WSO diverge most: on revenue growth, AIT reads +7.6% and WSO reads -4.4%; on dividend yield, AIT reads 0.5% and WSO reads 3.8%. 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). The bull and bear cases for each are in their full reports below.
| Metric | AIT | WSO |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $345.30 | $309.39 |
| Market cap | $13.0B | $11.7B |
| Sector | Distribution | Distribution |
| Stage | Mature | Mature |
| Implied growth (priced in) | — | +13.2% |
| P/E | 32.6 | 25.4 |
| P/B | 7.00 | 3.65 |
| P/S | 2.69 | 1.62 |
| EV/EBITDA | 24.0 | 16.1 |
| Revenue growth | +7.6% | -4.4% |
| Gross margin | 30.4% | 27.9% |
| Operating margin | 11.0% | 7.2% |
| Net margin | 8.3% | 6.8% |
| Return on equity | 21.7% | 15.4% |
| Return on assets | 13.5% | 10.7% |
| Return on invested capital | 17.4% | 16.0% |
| FCF yield | 3.4% | 5.9% |
| Dividend yield | 0.5% | 3.8% |
| Debt / equity | 0.20 | 0.11 |
| Current ratio | 2.95 | 3.34 |
| Altman Z (solvency) | 9.46 | 8.60 |
| Piotroski F (quality) | 8 / 9 | 5 / 9 |
Each week boothcheck ranks the stocks whose prices are betting on the most. Read the most stretched bets archive →
boothcheck is also on Android. Get the app on Google Play →
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.