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AIT vs. SUNB: Applied Industrial vs. Sunbelt Rentals Stock Comparison

How do Applied Industrial (AIT) and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) 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 Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) are both classified in the Trading Companies & Distributors sub-industry within the broader Trading Companies & Distributors industry, placing them in the closest GICS peer bucket.

Applied Industrial (AIT) has been public since March 17, 1980, giving it decades of market history across multiple cycles, while Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) listed only on March 2, 2026 and lacks comparable through-cycle data.

Company profile comparison for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB)
Profile ItemAITSUNB
NameApplied Industrial Technologies Inc.Sunbelt Rentals Holdings, Inc.
Country/RegionUnited StatesUnited States
GICS SectorIndustrialsIndustrials
GICS Industry GroupCapital GoodsCapital Goods
GICS IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsTrading Companies & Distributors
GICS Sub-IndustryTrading Companies & DistributorsTrading Companies & Distributors
Market Capitalization10.35 billion USD31.57 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980March 2, 2026
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AIT
SUNB
GSPC
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB), 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 Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

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

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB)
MetricAITSUNB
Total Return (1Y)15.62%--
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)24.49%--
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)24.56%--

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

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

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB)
MetricAITSUNB
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)28.72%45.72%
Beta (5Y)0.861.10
Max Drawdown (5Y)-26.42%-22.53%
Avg. Volume (3M)295.41K4.96M

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Both AIT and SUNB need 1-year volatility and 1-year return to plot risk-return positioning.

Risk-Adjusted Metrics

Risk-adjusted metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB)
MetricAITSUNB
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.39--
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.53--

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 22.51% sits in the top ROE quartile, while Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 18.37% 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%

SUNB

Capital Goods industry group

18.37%

Max
40.55%
Q3
19.29%
SUNB
18.37%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 12.12% 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%

SUNB

Capital Goods industry group

12.12%

Max
27.47%
SUNB
12.12%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 22.38% 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%

SUNB

Capital Goods industry group

22.38%

Max
36.60%
SUNB
22.38%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB)
MetricAITSUNB
ROE (TTM)22.51%18.37%
ROA (TTM)11.43%6.71%
Net Margin (TTM)8.39%12.12%
Operating Margin (TTM)11.12%22.38%
Gross Margin (TTM)30.40%38.78%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 8.84% and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 3.36% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) reports EPS growth of -8.91%, ranked against its industry; Applied Industrial (AIT) has no EPS growth figure this period.

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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB)
MetricAITSUNB
Revenue Growth (YoY)8.84%3.36%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)4.02%4.88%
EPS Growth (YoY)---8.91%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)7.40%-4.89%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 2.89 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 0.95 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for SUNB.

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

SUNB

Capital Goods industry group

0.95

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
SUNB
0.95
Min
0.36
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): 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 Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 1.53 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

SUNB

Capital Goods industry group

1.53

Max
2.33
SUNB
1.53
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): 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 Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB)
MetricAITSUNB
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.890.95
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.151.53
Net Debt / EBITDA0.273.93

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 1.87% delivers top-quartile income for its industry, while Applied Industrial (AIT) at 0.71% pays a more typical yield — both are credible income propositions, SUNB the richer one.

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%

SUNB

Capital Goods industry group

1.87%

Max
2.66%
SUNB
1.87%
Q3
1.14%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): A comparison of their dividend yield against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 17.63% and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 22.63% keep payout ratio within their industries’ typical mid-ranges — dividend policies that share earnings without consuming too much of them.

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%

SUNB

Capital Goods industry group

22.63%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
SUNB
22.63%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB)
MetricAITSUNB
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.71%1.87%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)17.63%22.63%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 25.10 and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 23.28 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

SUNB

Capital Goods industry group

23.28

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
SUNB
23.28
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): 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 Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 2.75 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

SUNB

Capital Goods industry group

2.75

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
SUNB
2.75
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): A comparison of their P/S ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

P/B Ratio (MRQ)

Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB) at 4.24 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

SUNB

Capital Goods industry group

4.24

Max
9.66
Q3
5.00
SUNB
4.24
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
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Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and Sunbelt Rentals (SUNB)
MetricAITSUNB
P/E Ratio (TTM)25.1023.28
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.052.75
P/B Ratio (MRQ)5.504.24
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.24%5.47%