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AIT vs. NXT: Applied Industrial vs. Nextracker Stock Comparison

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

Applied Industrial (AIT) has more than two decades of public-market history since March 17, 1980, whereas Nextracker (NXT) listed on February 9, 2023 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Company profile comparison for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nextracker (NXT)
Profile ItemAITNXT
NameApplied Industrial Technologies Inc.Nextpower Inc. Class A Common Stock
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsElectrical Equipment
GICS Sub-IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsElectrical Components & Equipment
Market Capitalization10.35 billion USD16.00 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENasdaq
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980February 9, 2023
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AIT
NXT
GSPC
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nextracker (NXT), 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 Nextracker (NXT). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nextracker (NXT)
MetricAITNXT
Total Return (1Y)15.62%0.06%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)24.49%45.51%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)24.56%--

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nextracker (NXT)
MetricAITNXT
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)28.72%68.10%
Beta (5Y)0.861.66
Max Drawdown (5Y)-26.42%-51.10%
Avg. Volume (3M)295.41K2.38M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

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AIT and NXT 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 Nextracker (NXT)
MetricAITNXT
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.39-0.06
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.53-0.09

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 22.51% and Nextracker (NXT) at 26.46% sit in the top peer quartile for ROE, suggesting each generates more profit from shareholders’ equity than typical industry peers.

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%

NXT

Capital Goods industry group

26.46%

Max
40.55%
NXT
26.46%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nextracker (NXT): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Nextracker (NXT) at 15.98% 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%

NXT

Capital Goods industry group

15.98%

Max
27.47%
NXT
15.98%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nextracker (NXT): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Nextracker (NXT) at 20.06% 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%

NXT

Capital Goods industry group

20.06%

Max
36.60%
NXT
20.06%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nextracker (NXT): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nextracker (NXT)
MetricAITNXT
ROE (TTM)22.51%26.46%
ROA (TTM)11.43%10.75%
Net Margin (TTM)8.39%15.98%
Operating Margin (TTM)11.12%20.06%
Gross Margin (TTM)30.40%21.84%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Nextracker (NXT) at 20.28% sits in the top revenue growth quartile, while Applied Industrial (AIT) at 8.84% is closer to the peer norm — faster top-line expansion for NXT.

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

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Nextracker (NXT) reports EPS growth of 10.66%, ranked against its industry; Applied Industrial (AIT) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nextracker (NXT)
MetricAITNXT
Revenue Growth (YoY)8.84%20.28%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)4.02%23.23%
EPS Growth (YoY)--10.66%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)7.40%476.90%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 2.89 and Nextracker (NXT) at 2.23 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

NXT

Capital Goods industry group

2.23

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
NXT
2.23
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
Min
0.36
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nextracker (NXT): A comparison of their current ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 0.15 and Nextracker (NXT) at 0.02 keep leverage in the lower quartile of their industries, with less balance-sheet debt relative to equity than most peers.

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

NXT

Capital Goods industry group

0.02

Max
2.33
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
NXT
0.02
Min
0.00
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nextracker (NXT): 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 Nextracker (NXT)
MetricAITNXT
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.892.23
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.150.02
Net Debt / EBITDA0.27-1.30

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Nextracker (NXT) 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%

NXT

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
NXT
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nextracker (NXT): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Nextracker (NXT) 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%

NXT

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
Median
6.86%
NXT
0.00%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nextracker (NXT): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nextracker (NXT)
MetricAITNXT
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 Nextracker (NXT) at 26.42 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

NXT

Capital Goods industry group

26.42

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
NXT
26.42
Median
25.41
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nextracker (NXT): 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 Nextracker (NXT) at 4.17 sits in the pricier quartile — NXT 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

NXT

Capital Goods industry group

4.17

Max
7.54
NXT
4.17
Q3
3.76
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nextracker (NXT): 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 Nextracker (NXT) at 5.98 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

NXT

Capital Goods industry group

5.98

Max
9.66
NXT
5.98
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Nextracker (NXT): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Nextracker (NXT)
MetricAITNXT
P/E Ratio (TTM)25.1026.42
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.054.17
P/B Ratio (MRQ)5.505.98
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.24%2.32%