AIT vs. RBC: Applied Industrial vs. RBC Bearings Stock Comparison

November 11, 2026

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

Company profile comparison for Applied Industrial (AIT) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
Profile Item	AIT	RBC
Name	Applied Industrial Technologies Inc.	RBC Bearings Incorporated
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	15.02 billion USD
Currency	USD	USD
Exchange	NYSE	NYSE
Listing Date	March 17, 1980	August 10, 2005
Security Type	Common Stock	Common Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AIT

RBC

GSPC

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC), 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 RBC Bearings (RBC). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
Metric	AIT	RBC
Total Return (1Y)	15.62%	13.77%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)	24.49%	30.63%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)	24.56%	15.68%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AIT

RBC

GSPC

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
Metric	AIT	RBC
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)	28.72%	29.69%
Beta (5Y)	0.86	1.34
Max Drawdown (5Y)	-26.42%	-34.92%
Avg. Volume (3M)	295.41K	309.06K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

AIT and RBC 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 RBC Bearings (RBC)
Metric	AIT	RBC
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)	0.39	0.32
Sortino Ratio (1Y)	0.53	0.45

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 22.51% sits in the top ROE quartile, while RBC Bearings (RBC) at 10.51% 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%

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

10.51%

Max: 40.55%
Q3: 19.29%
Median: 12.12%
RBC: 10.51%
Q1: 4.08%
Min: -17.12%

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

Net Margin (TTM)

RBC Bearings (RBC) at 17.51% 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%

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

17.51%

Max: 27.47%
RBC: 17.51%
Q3: 12.10%
Median: 6.30%
Q1: 1.40%
Min: -12.89%

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

Operating Margin (TTM)

RBC Bearings (RBC) at 24.97% 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%

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

24.97%

Max: 36.60%
RBC: 24.97%
Q3: 18.33%
Median: 11.12%
Q1: 5.14%
Min: -12.63%

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

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
Metric	AIT	RBC
ROE (TTM)	22.51%	10.51%
ROA (TTM)	11.43%	6.06%
Net Margin (TTM)	8.39%	17.51%
Operating Margin (TTM)	11.12%	24.97%
Gross Margin (TTM)	30.40%	45.61%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 8.84% and RBC Bearings (RBC) at 14.34% 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. RBC Bearings (RBC): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: RBC Bearings (RBC) reports EPS growth of 18.05%, ranked against its industry; Applied Industrial (AIT) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
Metric	AIT	RBC
Revenue Growth (YoY)	8.84%	14.34%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)	4.02%	8.39%
EPS Growth (YoY)	--	18.05%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)	7.40%	22.54%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 2.89 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while RBC Bearings (RBC) at 3.13 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets 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

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

3.13

Max: 5.22
RBC: 3.13
Q3: 2.95
Median: 2.08
Q1: 1.43
Min: 0.36

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

Debt / Equity (MRQ)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 0.15 and RBC Bearings (RBC) at 0.22 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

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

0.22

Max: 2.33
Q3: 1.12
Median: 0.60
Q1: 0.29
RBC: 0.22
Min: 0.00

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): 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 RBC Bearings (RBC)
Metric	AIT	RBC
Current Ratio (MRQ)	2.89	3.13
Debt / Equity (MRQ)	0.15	0.22
Net Debt / EBITDA	0.27	1.09

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

RBC Bearings (RBC) 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%

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

RBC Bearings (RBC) 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%

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

0.00%

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

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

Dividend Metrics

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

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 25.10 is near its industry’s usual P/E ratio, while RBC Bearings (RBC) at 42.44 sits in the richer quartile — RBC 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

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

42.44

Max: 59.38
RBC: 42.44
Q3: 35.92
Median: 25.41
Q1: 19.47
Min: 3.03

Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. RBC Bearings (RBC): 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 RBC Bearings (RBC) at 7.42 sits in the pricier quartile — RBC 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

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

7.42

Max: 7.54
RBC: 7.42
Q3: 3.76
Median: 2.15
Q1: 1.03
Min: 0.03

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

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

RBC Bearings (RBC) at 4.21 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

RBC

Capital Goods industry group

4.21

Max: 9.66
Q3: 5.00
RBC: 4.21
Median: 3.12
Q1: 1.81
Min: -1.08

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

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and RBC Bearings (RBC)
Metric	AIT	RBC
P/E Ratio (TTM)	25.10	42.44
P/S Ratio (TTM)	2.05	7.42
P/B Ratio (MRQ)	5.50	4.21
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)	3.24%	2.22%