AIT vs. GNRC: Applied Industrial vs. Generac Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

How do Applied Industrial (AIT) and Generac (GNRC) 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 Generac (GNRC) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but AIT is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors while GNRC is classified in Electrical Equipment.

Company profile comparison for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Generac (GNRC)
Profile Item	AIT	GNRC
Name	Applied Industrial Technologies Inc.	Generac Holdings Inc.
Country/Region	United States	United States
GICS Sector	Industrials	Industrials
GICS Industry Group	Capital Goods	Capital Goods
GICS Industry	Trading Companies & Distributors	Electrical Equipment
GICS Sub-Industry	Trading Companies & Distributors	Electrical Components & Equipment
Market Capitalization	10.35 billion USD	10.43 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	February 11, 2010
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AIT

GNRC

GSPC

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Generac (GNRC), 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

Loading price history…

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

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Generac (GNRC)
Metric	AIT	GNRC
Total Return (1Y)	15.62%	23.38%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	24.49%	23.05%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	24.56%	-15.31%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AIT

GNRC

GSPC

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Generac (GNRC), 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

Loading price history…

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Generac (GNRC)
Metric	AIT	GNRC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	28.72%	59.48%
Beta (5Y)	0.86	1.84
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-26.42%	-81.73%
Avg. Volume (3M)	295.41K	1.22M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AIT and GNRC 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 Generac (GNRC)
Metric	AIT	GNRC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.39	0.32
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.53	0.50

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 22.51% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Generac (GNRC) at 10.64% 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%

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

10.64%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
GNRC: 10.64%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 8.39% and Generac (GNRC) at 6.52% 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%

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

6.52%

Max: 27.47%
Q3: 12.10%
GNRC: 6.52%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 11.12% and Generac (GNRC) at 11.67% 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%

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

11.67%

Max: 36.60%
Q3: 18.33%
GNRC: 11.67%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Generac (GNRC)
Metric	AIT	GNRC
ROE (TTM)	22.51%	10.64%
ROA (TTM)	11.43%	4.24%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.39%	6.52%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.12%	11.67%
Gross Margin (TTM)	30.40%	38.18%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 8.84% is around its peer norm for revenue growth, while Generac (GNRC) at -2.02% drops into the bottom quartile, signaling weaker demand or pricing momentum.

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

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Generac (GNRC) reports EPS growth of -50.09%, ranked against its industry; Applied Industrial (AIT) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Generac (GNRC)
Metric	AIT	GNRC
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.84%	-2.02%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.02%	-2.67%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	-50.09%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	7.40%	-20.83%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 2.89 and Generac (GNRC) at 1.97 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

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

1.97

Max: 5.22
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
GNRC: 1.97
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Generac (GNRC): 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 Generac (GNRC) at 0.47 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

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.47

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
GNRC: 0.47
Q1: 0.29
Min: 0.00

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Generac (GNRC): 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 Generac (GNRC)
Metric	AIT	GNRC
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.89	1.97
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.15	0.47
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.27	1.65

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Generac (GNRC) pays no dividend (yield 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Applied Industrial (AIT) reports a yield of 0.71%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 2.66%
Q3: 1.14%
Median: 0.24%
GNRC: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Generac (GNRC) pays no dividend (payout 0.00%) — it may be reinvesting, using buybacks, or simply not returning cash through dividends. Meanwhile Applied Industrial (AIT) reports a payout of 17.63%, ranking against industry peers normally.

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%

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max: 67.39%
Q3: 28.02%
Median: 6.86%
GNRC: 0.00%
Q1: 0.00%
Min: 0.00%

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

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Generac (GNRC)
Metric	AIT	GNRC
Dividend Yield (TTM)	0.71%	0.00%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)	17.63%	0.00%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 25.10 and Generac (GNRC) at 34.87 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

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

34.87

Max: 59.38
Q3: 35.92
GNRC: 34.87
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

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

P/S Ratio (TTM)

On P/S ratio, both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 2.05 and Generac (GNRC) at 2.26 are priced roughly in line with their industries — neither looks cheap nor rich on a sales basis.

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

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

2.26

Max: 7.54
Q3: 3.76
GNRC: 2.26
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Generac (GNRC) at 3.46 is valued about in line with its industry on P/B ratio, while Applied Industrial (AIT) at 5.50 carries an above-peer premium to book — AIT is pricier on assets.

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

GNRC

Capital Goods industry group

3.46

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
GNRC: 3.46
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Generac (GNRC)
Metric	AIT	GNRC
P/E Ratio (TTM)	25.10	34.87
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.05	2.26
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.50	3.46
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.24%	3.21%