Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's Competitiveness
A competitive positioning analysis and financial ratio benchmarking of Applied Industrial Technologies Inc (AIT) against its publicly traded competitors: sales growth, net income, profitability, valuation and market share, plus each peer's market capitalization, revenue, income and employees. Free below: the top 5 peers. Subscriber access adds the full competitor list and CSV downloads.
Key Findings: Applied Industrial Technologies Inc vs Its Competitors
- TTM: Trailing 12-month revenue of 4,965M vs 20,282M combined for tracked competitors (19.7% combined share).
- Trending: Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+9.0% annualized vs trailing 12 months), vs accelerating (+6.7%) for its tracked peer group.
- Growth: Applied Industrial Technologies Inc generated 10.5% revenue growth year over year in Q4 2026, vs 10.1% for its tracked competitors combined.
- Profitability: Its 8.8% net margin compares with 11.8% for the peer group.
- Scale: Applied Industrial Technologies Inc ranks #3 of 20 companies by market capitalization in the Construction & Mining Machinery industry, holding 3.0% of industry market cap.
- Peer revenue share: Applied Industrial Technologies Inc accounted for 20.0% of combined revenue among its tracked peer group, up from 20.0% a year earlier.
- Peer differentiation: Revenue per employee of $0.72M compares with $0.75M for the peer group (1.0x).
Every figure above is sourced and cited in detail further down this page (Market Structure, Profitability & Cost Structure, Productivity vs Peers).
AIT Sales vs. its Competitors, Q4 2026
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc reported revenue growth of 10.45 % year on year in Q4 2026, above its competitors' combined revenue growth of 10.09 %.
With a net margin of 8.77 %, Applied Industrial Technologies Inc reported lower profitability than its competitors (11.78 %).
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc generated 20.01 % of the combined sales of its peer group, up from 19.96 % a year earlier.
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc vs. its Competitors, Q4 2026
Revenue growth, year on year
Net income growth, year on year
Net margin
Revenue run-rate vs trailing 12 months
TTM net margin
TTM = trailing twelve months. Run-rate annualizes the latest quarter (×4) and compares it to TTM. In millions of $. High-Confidence Competitors are named as a competitor directly in an SEC filing; Similar-Size Competitors are the closest peers by market-cap rank within the same industry; Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors are the closest peers by combined revenue growth, operating margin and ROIC, all independent of the competitor list.
TTM revenue, latest-quarter run-rate and net income/margin benchmarked across Applied Industrial Technologies Inc and its 4 competitor groupings. Available under Commercial License.
| Entity | TTM Revenue | Rev Run-rate vs TTM |
|---|---|---|
| Applied Industrial Technologies Inc | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Competitors combined | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar-Size Competitors (7) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
| Similar Growth & Profitability (7) | $12,345M | +12.3% · Accelerating |
TTM revenue, run-rate and net margin benchmarking across Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's competitor groups requires a Commercial License.
For context: the Construction & Mining Machinery industry grew revenue 6.1% year over year, combined, vs 10.5% for Applied Industrial Technologies Inc. Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's share of combined industry revenue moved from 2.26% to 2.35%, a gain of 0.09 percentage points.
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's Competitor Quality Breadth
Share of each group, trailing 12 months: profitable (net margin > 0), expanding (revenue growth > 0), growing faster than the industry's own median, and financially distressed (Piotroski F-Score of 2 or below).
| Entity | Profitable | Expanding | Above Industry Growth | Distressed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Industrial Technologies Inc | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Competitors combined (2) | ||||
| Similar-Size Competitors (7) | ||||
| Similar Growth & Profitability (8) | 100.00 % (8 of 8) | 100.00 % (8 of 8) | 37.50 % (3 of 8) | 12.50 % (1 of 8) |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Altman Z-Score is not shown here: it is not populated in the underlying data for any company. Percentages are of companies in each group that report the relevant metric, not of the full group size.
AIT Stock Performance relative to its Competitors
AIT Stock Performance relative to Similar-Size Competitors
AIT Stock Performance relative to Similar Growth & Profitability Competitors
5 Best-Performing Tracked Competitors, Trailing 12 Months
| # | Competitor | TTM Share Price Return | vs U.S.A. 500 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | W w Grainger Inc | 282.9% | Outperformed |
| 2 | Global Industrial Company | 282.9% | Outperformed |
TTM share price return and U.S.A. 500 outperformance for Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's best-performing tracked competitors requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months.
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's Comment on Competition and Industry Peers
Publicly Traded Peers of Applied Industrial Technologies Inc
Revenue and income for trailing 12 months, in millions of $, except employees| Company | Market Cap | Revenues |
|---|---|---|
| Applied Industrial Technologies Inc | 12,773.71 | 4,965.25 |
| W w Grainger Inc | 59,268.56 | 18,845.00 |
| Global Industrial Company | 1,616.62 | 1,436.60 |
| SUBTOTAL | 73,658.90 | 25,246.85 |
Sources: Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's official press releases and regulatory filings; CSIMarket.com's market research; and the financial filings and press releases of the other companies cited.
Updated on:
Focus of this report: publicly traded companies. Ten additional tables on Applied Industrial Technologies Inc versus competitors, including market share analysis, are in the navigation menu under Competition. To download the tables, please subscribe.
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's Business Segment Mix vs Peers
Revenue by operating segment or division, as named and reported by each company. Segment names are the filer's own and are not standardized across companies. Do not assume a same-named or similarly-named segment is defined identically between two companies. Shares are of each company's own total revenue and are not required to sum to 100% (intersegment revenue, unallocated items).| Company | Largest Segment |
|---|---|
| Applied Industrial Technologies Inc | Service Center Based Distribution 64.44 % |
| W w Grainger Inc | High-Touch Solutions (n.a.) 79.01 % |
| Global Industrial Company | Reportable 100.00 % |
Source: operating segment revenue as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API, leaf-level reportable segments only (parent roll-up segments are excluded where sub-segments are separately disclosed).
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's Productivity vs Peers Comparison
Revenue and income per employee, trailing 12 months, in $; market cap in millions of $| Company | Market Cap | Revenue / Employee | Income / Employee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Industrial Technologies Inc | 12,774 | 719,602 | 60,076 |
| W w Grainger Inc | 59,269 | 753,800 | 79,240 |
| Global Industrial Company | 1,617 | 725,556 | 43,990 |
| PEERS TOTAL | 60,885 | 751,727 | 76,653 |
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's Geographic Revenue Exposure vs Peers
Revenue by country/region as reported in each company's most recent filing. Disclosure granularity varies by filer (some report by country, others by broad region) and is shown as disclosed.| Company | Largest Market |
|---|---|
| Applied Industrial Technologies Inc | UNITED STATES 88.51 % |
| W w Grainger Inc | United States 81.86 % |
| Global Industrial Company | United States 93.69 % |
Source: revenue geography as reported in each company's SEC filings (10-K/10-Q), via the CSIMarket API. Percentages are of that company's own total consolidated revenue for its most recent reported period.
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's Position in Industry Market Structure
Market-capitalization share and concentration across all 19 companies in Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's industry classification, broader than the peer set above. Market cap in millions of $.Applied Industrial Technologies Inc ranks #3 of 19 companies by market capitalization in its industry, holding 3.00 % of total industry market cap. The industry's Herfindahl-Hirschman Index (HHI) is 7,968, indicating a highly concentrated market structure (U.S. antitrust guidance: below 1,500 unconcentrated, 1,500 to 2,500 moderately concentrated, above 2,500 highly concentrated).
| Rank | Company | Market Cap | Industry Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caterpillar Inc | 379,227 | 89.11 % |
| 2 | Cnh Industrial N v | 16,456 | 3.87 % |
| 3 | Applied Industrial Technologies Inc | 12,774 | 3.00 % |
| 4 | Terex Corporation | 6,338 | 1.49 % |
| 5 | Blue Bird Corporation | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 6 | Distribution Solutions Group Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 7 | Astec Industries Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 8 | Douglas Dynamics Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 9 | Aebi Schmidt Holding Ag | 1,234 | 5.2% |
| 10 | The Manitowoc Company Inc | 1,234 | 5.2% |
Market cap and industry share for the rest of Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's industry peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation) across CSIMarket's industry classification, market capitalization as of 2026-09-28.
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's Same-Size Peers & Stock Performance
Peers chosen by closeness in market-cap rank within the same industry classification (not the named-competitor list above). Trailing 12-month total return, 3-month price momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio vs the broad U.S. market.| Rank | Company | Market Cap | TTM Return |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Caterpillar Inc | 379,227 | 76.91 % |
| 2 | Cnh Industrial N v | 16,456 | 20.65 % |
| 3 | Applied Industrial Technologies Inc | 12,774 | 28.99 % |
| 4 | Terex Corporation | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 5 | Blue Bird Corporation | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 6 | Distribution Solutions Group Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 7 | Astec Industries Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
| 8 | Douglas Dynamics Inc | 1,234 | 12.3% |
Market cap, return, momentum, beta and Sharpe ratio for the rest of Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's same-size peers requires a Commercial License.
Source: CSIMarket API (daily market-structure computation); returns and risk metrics as of 2026-09-28. Beta and Sharpe ratio are versus the broad U.S. equity market, not this industry.
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's Profitability & Cost Structure
Trailing 12-month margins from SEC-filed financials. Operating margin is compared to the Construction & Mining Machinery industry median; gross margin, EBITDA margin and capital intensity are compared to the live industry average (24 companies).| Metric | Company | Industry | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross Margin | 30.35 % | 21.59 % (avg) | +8.8 pp |
| Operating Margin | 11.07 % | industry median | +6.6 pp |
| EBITDA Margin | 12.81 % | 6.52 % (avg) | +6.3 pp |
| Capital Intensity (Capex / Revenue) | - | 10.24 % (avg) | - |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. SG&A and R&D as a share of revenue have limited coverage as this data is backfilled and appear only where reported. Higher capital intensity is not inherently negative; it reflects the industry's asset requirements.
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's Valuation vs Competitive Position
Valuation multiples vs the Construction & Mining Machinery industry average (24 companies, excluding loss-making/negative-equity outliers), alongside returns on capital for context on whether a premium or discount lines up with measurably stronger or weaker returns.| Metric | Company | Industry Average | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| P/E | 29.6x | 27.8x | +1.7x |
| EV / EBITDA | 19.5x | 15.2x | +4.3x |
| P/B | 6.6x | 2.0x | +4.5x |
| Return on Equity | 22.26 % | industry aggregate | -6.85 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 12.46 % | -0.10 % (avg) | 12.56 % |
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. A valuation premium or discount is not, by itself, a judgment of over- or under-valuation. Compare it against the return and growth context shown elsewhere on this page.
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's Multi-Year Financial Trajectory
Fiscal-year revenue growth, operating margin, return on invested capital and P/E, as reported in SEC filings.| Metric | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue Growth | 26.63 % | 0.82 % | -11.65 % | 14.74 % | 18.81 % | 7.12 % | 0.33 % | 6.16 % |
| Operating Margin | 7.42 % | 6.55 % | 0.62 % | 8.80 % | 10.19 % | 10.96 % | 11.05 % | 10.87 % |
| Return on Invested Capital | 9.30 % | 7.92 % | 0.70 % | 11.00 % | 13.33 % | 13.10 % | 11.91 % | 11.46 % |
| P/E | 14.4x | 19.0x | - | 17.7x | 16.3x | 17.6x | 26.2x | 24.9x |
Source: CSIMarket API, fiscal-year figures. P/E is this company's own historical ratio at each fiscal year end and can swing sharply around an earnings trough: that is real, not a data error.
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's Strategic Group Map
Every company in Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's industry and named-competitor list, plotted by trailing 12-month revenue growth and operating margin. Applied Industrial Technologies Inc is shown in red; its closest peers by combined growth, margin and ROIC (the Similar Growth & Profitability group above) are labeled.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Extreme outlier values (from near-zero-revenue companies) are excluded from the plotted cloud but never from the highlighted company or its labeled peers.
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's BCG Growth-Share Matrix
Relative market share (vs Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's largest competitor by market cap) against industry revenue growth, using the standard textbook thresholds (1.0x share, 10% growth) a common framework, not a precision instrument.
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc falls in the Dog quadrant: relative market share of 0.03x vs its largest competitor, in an industry growing revenue 8.9% (median, trailing 12 months).
Source: CSIMarket API (market-cap share and industry revenue growth). The 10% growth and 1.0x share lines are standard textbook thresholds, not derived from this industry's own distribution. A caveat worth reading alongside this chart: Caterpillar Inc alone holds 89% of this industry's market cap. In an industry this dominated by one leader, the framework will place nearly every OTHER company in "Dog" or "Question Mark" purely because relative share is measured against that leader, regardless of how strong those other companies actually are on their own fundamentals. Check the Profitability, Valuation and Financial Strength sections above before treating this quadrant label as a verdict.
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's Competitive Forces (Porter's Five Forces)
Only the forces this data can support honestly are shown; the other three are marked as such rather than guessed.| Force | Assessment | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Competitive Rivalry | Low | Industry HHI of 7,968 (see Industry Market Structure & Concentration above) |
| Supplier Power | Not covered on this page | See Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's dedicated suppliers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Buyer Power | Not covered on this page | See Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's dedicated customers page for concentration and dependency data |
| Threat of Substitutes | - | No systematic data source for cross-product substitution exists in this system; not estimated |
Note: this is a partial, data-grounded application of the framework, not a complete strategic assessment. Rivalry and barriers-to-entry readings are mechanical translations of the HHI and capital-intensity figures shown elsewhere on this page, not independent judgments.
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's Industry Attractiveness & Competitive Strength
A CSIMarket composite, not a standard field: each axis is an equal-weighted average of three factors already shown elsewhere on this page (industry growth, industry profitability and rivalry for attractiveness; relative market share, profitability and growth vs industry for strength). Disclosed as a designed methodology, not a precision measurement.
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc falls in the Medium attractiveness / Medium strength cell: Selective.
Source: CSIMarket API, trailing 12 months. Each axis score is a simple 1(low)/2(medium)/3(high) average across its three inputs -- a transparent, disclosed simplification, not a validated academic scoring model.
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's SWOT
Every point below is a fixed rule applied to a metric already shown elsewhere on this page (Market Structure, Profitability, Valuation, Run-Rate, Stock Performance, Quality Breadth) not an independent strategic assessment. A blank quadrant means no rule was met, not that none apply.Strengths
- Operating margin 6.6 points above the industry median.
- Latest-quarter revenue run-rate is accelerating (+9.0% annualized vs trailing 12 months).
- Outperforming the U.S.A. 500 over the trailing 12 months.
Weaknesses
- Return on equity 6.9 points below the industry aggregate.
- Low relative market share vs the industry leader (0.03x).
Opportunities
No rule matched.
Threats
- Industry dominated by Caterpillar Inc, holding 89.11 % of industry market cap.
Methodology: mechanical, rule-based SWOT. Each bullet reuses a figure already sourced and cited elsewhere on this page; nothing here is generated narrative or independent analyst judgment.
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's Financial Strength vs Peers Comparison
Quick ratio, working capital, debt to equity and asset turnover, trailing 12 months| Company | Quick Ratio | Working Capital | Debt / Equity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Industrial Technologies Inc | 0.51 | 3.07 | 0.24 |
| W w Grainger Inc | 0.29 | 2.76 | 0.57 |
| Global Industrial Company | 0.38 | 2.23 | - |
Quick ratio = cash / current liabilities; working capital ratio = current assets / current liabilities; asset turnover = revenue / total assets. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's Revenue and Income Growth vs Peers
Quarterly revenue and net income growth, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Revenue Y/Y | Income Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Industrial Technologies Inc | Q2 2026 | +10.4 % | +10.0 % |
| W w Grainger Inc | Q2 2026 | +10.3 % | +18.1 % |
| Global Industrial Company | Q2 2026 | +8.0 % | +47.8 % |
| PEERS TOTAL | +10.2 % | +17.9 % |
Growth is shown only where both periods are positive. Peers in the Blank Checks industry are excluded.
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's Peers' Costs of Sales and Capital Expenditures
Context for revenue growth: peer costs and capex, year over year and quarter over quarter| Company | Period | Costs Y/Y | Capex Y/Y |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Industrial Technologies Inc | Q2 2026 | +10.5 % | -40.9 % |
| W w Grainger Inc | Q2 2026 | +8.5 % | -36.6 % |
| Global Industrial Company | Q2 2026 | +2.8 % | -35.7 % |
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's Returns and Turnover vs Peers
ROA, ROI and ROE (trailing 12 months), receivables and inventory turnover| Company | ROA | ROI | ROE |
|---|---|---|---|
| Applied Industrial Technologies Inc | 13.42% | 16.28% | 22.26% |
| W w Grainger Inc | 21.47% | 26.92% | 46.73% |
| Global Industrial Company | 14.56% | 20.50% | 26.97% |
ROA = net income / total assets; ROI = net income / investments; ROE = net income / equity; turnover ratios use trailing 12 month revenue (receivables) and cost of sales (inventory).
Applied Industrial Technologies Inc's Valuation vs Peers
P/E, price to sales, PEG, price to cash flow and price to book| Company | P/E | Price / Sales |
|---|---|---|
| Applied Industrial Technologies Inc | 30.90 | 2.57 |
| W w Grainger Inc | 32.05 | 3.15 |
| Global Industrial Company | 18.81 | 1.13 |
| PEERS AVERAGE | 29.67 | 2.92 |
P/E = price / diluted EPS (trailing 12 months); PEG = P/E divided by EPS growth; the average row divides the peers' combined market cap by their combined income, sales, cash flow and equity.