AIT vs. RKLB: Applied Industrial vs. Rocket Lab Stock Comparison

Company Profile

Applied Industrial (AIT) and Rocket Lab (RKLB) both fall under the Capital Goods industry group, but AIT is classified in Trading Companies & Distributors while RKLB is classified in Aerospace & Defense.

Applied Industrial (AIT) has more than two decades of public-market history since March 17, 1980, whereas Rocket Lab (RKLB) listed on November 24, 2020 and has a much shorter record to draw on.

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

Trailing Returns

Calendar-Year Returns

Performance Metrics

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

Return Distribution

Risk Metrics

Rocket Lab (RKLB) carries a highly aggressive beta of 3.14, indicating much higher sensitivity to broad-market moves, whereas Applied Industrial (AIT) is closer to market-like at 0.86 — a noticeable difference in market-sensitivity profile.

Rocket Lab (RKLB) is heavily traded at around 19.51M shares per day, whereas Applied Industrial (AIT) sees a more moderate 295.41K — larger orders in the latter may require more patience and tighter control over order sizing.

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Profitability

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative ROE of -7.92%; negative ROE can reflect losses or negative shareholders’ equity, so it is harder to read as capital efficiency. Meanwhile Applied Industrial (AIT) reports 22.51%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative net margin of -21.51%, usually indicating a net loss over the period. Meanwhile Applied Industrial (AIT) reports 8.39%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a negative operating margin of -24.57%, usually indicating that operating costs exceeded revenue at the operating-income line. Meanwhile Applied Industrial (AIT) reports 11.12%, ranking against industry peers normally.

Profitability Metrics

Growth

Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 37.96% 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 RKLB.

Neither Applied Industrial (AIT) nor Rocket Lab (RKLB) reports a EPS growth value for this period, so a direct comparison isn't possible.

Growth Metrics

Financial Strength

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 2.89 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 5.48 sits above its industry’s typical mid-range — comfortable liquidity, though possibly with more idle current assets relative to peers.

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 0.15 and Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 0.04 keep leverage in the lower quartile of their industries, with less balance-sheet debt relative to equity than most peers.

Financial Strength Metrics

Dividends

Rocket Lab (RKLB) 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.

Rocket Lab (RKLB) 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.

Dividend Metrics

Valuation

An earnings multiple is available for just one side: Applied Industrial (AIT) trades at 25.10 times trailing earnings, ranked against its peers, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) has no P/E ratio this period.

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 2.05 prices around its industry’s typical P/S ratio, while Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 44.12 clears its benchmark range — RKLB looks notably rich on sales.

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 5.50 and Rocket Lab (RKLB) at 9.09 carry a premium to book value versus peers, sitting in the upper P/B ratio quartile of their industries.

Valuation Metrics