AIT vs. FER: Applied Industrial vs. Ferrovial Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Applied Industrial (AIT) and Ferrovial (FER) 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 Ferrovial (FER) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but AIT is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors while FER is classified in Construction & Engineering.

Company profile comparison for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Ferrovial (FER)
Profile Item	AIT	FER
Name	Applied Industrial Technologies Inc.	Ferrovial N.V.
Country/Region	United States	Netherlands
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Trading Companies & Distributors	Construction & Engineering
GICS Sub-Industry	Trading Companies & Distributors	Construction & Engineering
Market Capitalization	10.35 billion USD	42.19 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	Nasdaq
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	August 13, 2012
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AIT

FER

GSPC

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Ferrovial (FER), 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 Ferrovial (FER). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Ferrovial (FER)
Metric	AIT	FER
Total Return (1Y)	15.62%	-1.10%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	24.49%	26.01%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	24.56%	17.20%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AIT

FER

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Ferrovial (FER)
Metric	AIT	FER
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	28.72%	27.38%
Beta (5Y)	0.86	0.36
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-26.42%	-33.67%
Avg. Volume (3M)	295.41K	1.95M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AIT and FER 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 Ferrovial (FER)
Metric	AIT	FER
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.39	-0.20
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.53	-0.30

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 22.51% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Ferrovial (FER) at 11.62% 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%

FER

Capital Goods industry group

11.62%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
FER: 11.62%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 8.39% and Ferrovial (FER) at 6.15% 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%

FER

Capital Goods industry group

6.15%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
FER: 6.15%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 11.12% and Ferrovial (FER) at 10.45% 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%

FER

Capital Goods industry group

10.45%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
FER: 10.45%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Ferrovial (FER)
Metric	AIT	FER
ROE (TTM)	22.51%	11.62%
ROA (TTM)	11.43%	2.62%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.39%	6.15%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.12%	10.45%
Gross Margin (TTM)	30.40%	87.14%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 8.84% and Ferrovial (FER) at 5.24% 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. Ferrovial (FER): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Ferrovial (FER) reports EPS growth of -72.26%, ranked against its industry; Applied Industrial (AIT) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Ferrovial (FER)
Metric	AIT	FER
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.84%	5.24%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.02%	8.43%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	-72.26%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	7.40%	70.54%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 2.89 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Ferrovial (FER) at 1.20 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for FER.

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

FER

Capital Goods industry group

1.20

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
FER: 1.20
Min: 0.36

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Ferrovial (FER): 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 Ferrovial (FER) at 1.44 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

FER

Capital Goods industry group

1.44

Max: 2.33
FER: 1.44
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Ferrovial (FER): 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 Ferrovial (FER)
Metric	AIT	FER
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.89	1.20
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.15	1.44
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.27	4.39

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 0.71% and Ferrovial (FER) at 0.94% 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%

FER

Capital Goods industry group

0.94%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
FER: 0.94%
Median: 0.24%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 17.63% keeps its payout in the industry’s typical band, while Ferrovial (FER) at 71.24% pays out more than any of its peers — the most stretched cover in its group.

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%

FER

Capital Goods industry group

71.24%

FER: 71.24%
Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Ferrovial (FER)
Metric	AIT	FER
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.71%	0.94%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	17.63%	71.24%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 25.10 and Ferrovial (FER) at 32.26 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

FER

Capital Goods industry group

32.26

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
FER: 32.26
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Ferrovial (FER): 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 Ferrovial (FER) at 4.28 sits in the pricier quartile — FER 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

FER

Capital Goods industry group

4.28

Max: 7.54
FER: 4.28
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Ferrovial (FER): 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 Ferrovial (FER) at 6.59 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

FER

Capital Goods industry group

6.59

Max: 9.66
FER: 6.59
Q3: 5.00
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Ferrovial (FER)
Metric	AIT	FER
P/E Ratio (TTM)	25.10	32.26
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.05	4.28
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.50	6.59
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.24%	2.11%