AIT vs. DE: Applied Industrial vs. Deere Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Deere (DE)
Profile Item	AIT	DE
Name	Applied Industrial Technologies Inc.	Deere & 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	Agricultural & Farm Machinery
Market Capitalization	10.35 billion USD	181.09 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	June 1, 1972
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AIT

GSPC

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Deere (DE), 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 Deere (DE). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Deere (DE)
Metric	AIT	DE
Total Return (1Y)	15.62%	49.27%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	24.49%	24.81%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	24.56%	15.67%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AIT

GSPC

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Deere (DE), 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 Deere (DE). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Deere (DE)
Metric	AIT	DE
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	28.72%	33.18%
Beta (5Y)	0.86	0.88
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-26.42%	-33.81%
Avg. Volume (3M)	295.41K	1.23M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AIT and DE 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 Deere (DE)
Metric	AIT	DE
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.39	1.36
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.53	2.26

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 22.51% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Deere (DE) at 18.24% 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%

DE

Capital Goods industry group

18.24%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
DE: 18.24%
Median: 12.12%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 8.39% and Deere (DE) at 10.17% keep about the typical share of revenue as profit for their industries — neither bottom line stands out from peers.

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%

DE

Capital Goods industry group

10.17%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
DE: 10.17%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 11.12% and Deere (DE) at 13.37% run core operations about as efficiently as their industries’ norm — neither stands out on operating profitability.

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%

DE

Capital Goods industry group

13.37%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
DE: 13.37%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Deere (DE)
Metric	AIT	DE
ROE (TTM)	22.51%	18.24%
ROA (TTM)	11.43%	3.76%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.39%	10.17%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.12%	13.37%
Gross Margin (TTM)	30.40%	25.18%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 8.84% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Deere (DE) at -11.59% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Deere (DE) reports EPS growth of -27.79%, ranked against its industry; Applied Industrial (AIT) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Deere (DE)
Metric	AIT	DE
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.84%	-11.59%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.02%	-4.50%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	-27.79%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	7.40%	-7.37%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 2.89 and Deere (DE) at 2.13 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

DE

Capital Goods industry group

2.13

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
DE: 2.13
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Deere (DE): 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 quartile, while Deere (DE) at 2.30 sits in the higher-leverage quartile.

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

DE

Capital Goods industry group

2.30

Max: 2.33
DE: 2.30
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Deere (DE): 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 Deere (DE)
Metric	AIT	DE
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.89	2.13
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.15	2.30
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.27	6.70

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 0.71% and Deere (DE) at 0.98% 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%

DE

Capital Goods industry group

0.98%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
DE: 0.98%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 17.63% pays out a band-typical share of earnings, while Deere (DE) at 36.02% distributes more than its industry norm — less retained, thinner cover.

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%

DE

Capital Goods industry group

36.02%

Max: 67.39%
DE: 36.02%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Deere (DE)
Metric	AIT	DE
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.71%	0.98%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	17.63%	36.02%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 25.10 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while Deere (DE) at 37.33 sits in the richer quartile — DE needs stronger growth or earnings quality to justify the premium.

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

DE

Capital Goods industry group

37.33

Max: 59.38
DE: 37.33
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Deere (DE): 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 Deere (DE) at 3.78 sits in the pricier quartile — DE 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

DE

Capital Goods industry group

3.78

Max: 7.54
DE: 3.78
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Deere (DE): 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 Deere (DE) at 6.47 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

DE

Capital Goods industry group

6.47

Max: 9.66
DE: 6.47
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Deere (DE)
Metric	AIT	DE
P/E Ratio (TTM)	25.10	37.33
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.05	3.78
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.50	6.47
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.24%	2.49%