Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (AIT) vs MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. (MSM)
Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. and MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. are both Industrial Distribution companies. Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. is the larger, with a market value of $12.2B against $6.7B — 1.8× the size. MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. trades at the lower P/E: 29.3× against 30.1×. Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. grew revenue faster over the last twelve months: 8.84% against 4.41%. Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. has the higher net margin (8.35% vs 5.91%) and the higher return on invested capital (17.2% vs 11.2%). Both pay a dividend; MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. yields more (3.39% vs 0.78%). Across the 23 metrics below, Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. leads on 15 and MSC Industrial Direct Company, Inc. on 8.
Valuation
Profitability
| Metric | AIT | MSM | Industrial Distribution median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross margin | 30.34% | 40.82% | 30.34% |
| Operating margin | 11.06% | 8.50% | 8.06% |
| Net margin | 8.35% | 5.91% | 4.95% |
| Free cash flow margin | 9.29% | 5.65% | 4.67% |
| Return on equity | 22.37% | 16.54% | 14.29% |
| Return on assets | 13.40% | 9.30% | 5.30% |
| Return on invested capital | 17.20% | 11.21% | 8.13% |
Growth
Health
Dividend
Size
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