AIT vs. CR: Applied Industrial vs. Crane Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Applied Industrial (AIT) and Crane (CR) stack up? This page sets them side by side across company profile, performance and risk, profitability, growth, financial strength, dividends, and valuation, with selected fundamentals also measured against each stock's industry-group peers.

Company Profile

Applied Industrial (AIT) and Crane (CR) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but AIT is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors while CR is classified in Machinery.

Applied Industrial (AIT) has more than two decades of public-market history since March 17, 1980, whereas Crane (CR) listed on March 29, 2023 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Crane (CR)
Profile Item	AIT	CR
Name	Applied Industrial Technologies Inc.	Crane Company
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Trading Companies & Distributors	Machinery
GICS Sub-Industry	Trading Companies & Distributors	Industrial Machinery & Supplies & Components
Market Capitalization	10.35 billion USD	11.63 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	March 29, 2023
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AIT

GSPC

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Crane (CR), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Growth of a $10,000 investment over the past five years. Adjusted for dividends and splits.

Trailing Returns

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Trailing total returns for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Crane (CR). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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Calendar-year total returns for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Crane (CR). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Crane (CR)
Metric	AIT	CR
Total Return (1Y)	15.62%	11.24%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	24.49%	28.26%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	24.56%	--

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AIT

GSPC

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Crane (CR), with S&P 500 (GSPC) for reference: Drawdown from the running peak over the past five years. Each line shows the decline from its prior peak; 0% marks a new high.

Return Distribution

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Distribution of monthly total returns for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Crane (CR). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Crane (CR)
Metric	AIT	CR
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	28.72%	34.10%
Beta (5Y)	0.86	0.98
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-26.42%	-28.02%
Avg. Volume (3M)	295.41K	401.91K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AIT and CR are plotted by 1-year volatility (risk) and 1-year return. The dashed Capital Allocation Line runs from the risk-free rate through the shared industry median.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Crane (CR)
Metric	AIT	CR
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.39	0.20
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.53	0.28

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 22.51% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Crane (CR) at 16.14% is closer to the peer norm — stronger capital efficiency for AIT.

AIT

Capital Goods industry group

22.51%

Max: 40.55%
AIT: 22.51%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

CR

Capital Goods industry group

16.14%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
CR: 16.14%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Crane (CR): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Crane (CR) at 12.41% retains a top-quartile share of revenue as profit, ahead of Applied Industrial (AIT) at 8.39%, which keeps about the industry-typical share.

AIT

Capital Goods industry group

8.39%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
AIT: 8.39%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

CR

Capital Goods industry group

12.41%

Max: 27.47%
CR: 12.41%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Crane (CR): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Crane (CR) at 18.77% operates in the top operating margin quartile, ahead of Applied Industrial (AIT) at 11.12%, which runs around its industry’s norm.

AIT

Capital Goods industry group

11.12%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
AIT: 11.12%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

CR

Capital Goods industry group

18.77%

Max: 36.60%
CR: 18.77%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Crane (CR): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Crane (CR)
Metric	AIT	CR
ROE (TTM)	22.51%	16.14%
ROA (TTM)	11.43%	9.33%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.39%	12.41%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.12%	18.77%
Gross Margin (TTM)	30.40%	42.27%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 8.84% and Crane (CR) at 8.16% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Crane (CR): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Crane (CR) reports EPS growth of 23.96%, ranked against its industry; Applied Industrial (AIT) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Crane (CR): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Crane (CR)
Metric	AIT	CR
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.84%	8.16%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.02%	9.07%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	23.96%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	7.40%	-4.47%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 2.89 and Crane (CR) at 2.61 carry current ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges, suggesting balanced short-term liquidity relative to peers.

AIT

Capital Goods industry group

2.89

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
AIT: 2.89
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

CR

Capital Goods industry group

2.61

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
CR: 2.61
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Crane (CR): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 0.15 keeps leverage in the lower industry quartile, while Crane (CR) at 0.42 runs a more typical debt-to-equity mix.

AIT

Capital Goods industry group

0.15

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
AIT: 0.15
Min: 0.00

CR

Capital Goods industry group

0.42

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
CR: 0.42
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Crane (CR): A comparison of their debt-to-equity ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Financial Strength Metrics

Financial strength metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Crane (CR)
Metric	AIT	CR
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.89	2.61
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.15	0.42
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.27	1.08

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 0.71% and Crane (CR) at 0.50% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

AIT

Capital Goods industry group

0.71%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
AIT: 0.71%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CR

Capital Goods industry group

0.50%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
CR: 0.50%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Crane (CR): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 17.63% and Crane (CR) at 17.10% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

AIT

Capital Goods industry group

17.63%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
AIT: 17.63%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

CR

Capital Goods industry group

17.10%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
CR: 17.10%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Crane (CR): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Crane (CR)
Metric	AIT	CR
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.71%	0.50%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	17.63%	17.10%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 25.10 and Crane (CR) at 34.55 land around their industries’ usual P/E ratio levels — neither is getting a clear earnings-multiple discount or premium versus peers.

AIT

Capital Goods industry group

25.10

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
AIT: 25.10
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

CR

Capital Goods industry group

34.55

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
CR: 34.55
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Crane (CR): A comparison of their P/E ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/S Ratio (TTM)

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 2.05 is priced about in line with its industry on P/S ratio, while Crane (CR) at 4.22 sits in the pricier quartile — CR costs more per dollar of sales.

AIT

Capital Goods industry group

2.05

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
AIT: 2.05
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

CR

Capital Goods industry group

4.22

Max: 7.54
CR: 4.22
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Crane (CR): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 5.50 and Crane (CR) at 5.13 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

AIT

Capital Goods industry group

5.50

Max: 9.66
AIT: 5.50
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

CR

Capital Goods industry group

5.13

Max: 9.66
CR: 5.13
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Crane (CR): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Crane (CR)
Metric	AIT	CR
P/E Ratio (TTM)	25.10	34.55
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.05	4.22
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.50	5.13
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.24%	1.88%