Seek Returns

AIT vs. URI: Applied Industrial vs. United Rentals Stock Comparison

How do Applied Industrial (AIT) and United Rentals (URI) 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 United Rentals (URI) 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.

Company profile comparison for Applied Industrial (AIT) and United Rentals (URI)
Profile ItemAITURI
NameApplied Industrial Technologies Inc.United Rentals 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 USD65.36 billion USD
CurrencyUSDUSD
ExchangeNYSENYSE
Listing DateMarch 17, 1980December 18, 1997
Security TypeCommon StockCommon Stock

Price Performance

Cumulative Growth

AIT
URI
GSPC
Loading price history…
Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. United Rentals (URI), 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 United Rentals (URI). Returns over one year are annualized.

Calendar-Year Returns

Loading price history…
Calendar-year total returns for Applied Industrial (AIT) and United Rentals (URI). Each bar is that year's total return, measured year-end to year-end.

Performance Metrics

Price performance metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricAITURI
Total Return (1Y)15.62%35.39%
Total Return (3Y, Annualized)24.49%38.68%
Total Return (5Y, Annualized)24.56%24.76%

Risk Profile

Drawdown History

AIT
URI
GSPC
Loading price history…
Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. United Rentals (URI), 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 United Rentals (URI). Each bar is the share of months whose return fell in that 5% bucket.

Risk Metrics

Risk profile metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricAITURI
Volatility (1Y, Annualized)28.72%44.71%
Beta (5Y)0.861.81
Max Drawdown (5Y)-26.42%-39.76%
Avg. Volume (3M)295.41K496.78K

Risk-Adjusted Performance

Risk-Return Positioning

Loading chart…
AIT and URI 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 United Rentals (URI)
MetricAITURI
Sharpe Ratio (1Y)0.390.70
Sortino Ratio (1Y)0.531.16

Profitability

ROE (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 22.51% and United Rentals (URI) at 30.56% 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%

URI

Capital Goods industry group

30.56%

Max
40.55%
URI
30.56%
Q3
19.29%
Median
12.12%
Q1
4.08%
Min
-17.12%
Loading chart…
Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their ROE against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Net Margin (TTM)

United Rentals (URI) at 16.33% 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%

URI

Capital Goods industry group

16.33%

Max
27.47%
URI
16.33%
Q3
12.10%
Median
6.30%
Q1
1.40%
Min
-12.89%
Loading chart…
Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their net margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Operating Margin (TTM)

United Rentals (URI) at 29.21% 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%

URI

Capital Goods industry group

29.21%

Max
36.60%
URI
29.21%
Q3
18.33%
Median
11.12%
Q1
5.14%
Min
-12.63%
Loading chart…
Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their operating margin against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Profitability Metrics

Profitability metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricAITURI
ROE (TTM)22.51%30.56%
ROA (TTM)11.43%9.14%
Net Margin (TTM)8.39%16.33%
Operating Margin (TTM)11.12%29.21%
Gross Margin (TTM)30.40%39.19%

Growth

Revenue Growth

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 8.84% and United Rentals (URI) at 4.91% land near their industries' usual revenue growth ranges, so top-line momentum looks broadly in line with peers on both sides.

Loading chart…
Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their Revenue Growth across different time periods.

EPS Growth

Only one side can be read here: United Rentals (URI) reports EPS growth of -0.21%, ranked against its industry; Applied Industrial (AIT) has no EPS growth figure this period.

Loading chart…
Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their EPS Growth across different time periods.

Growth Metrics

Growth metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricAITURI
Revenue Growth (YoY)8.84%4.91%
Revenue Growth (3Y CAGR)4.02%11.41%
EPS Growth (YoY)---0.21%
EPS Growth (3Y CAGR)7.40%9.20%

Financial Strength

Current Ratio (MRQ)

Applied Industrial (AIT) at 2.89 keeps current ratio within its industry’s typical mid-range, while United Rentals (URI) at 0.80 runs in the tighter-liquidity quartile — a thinner cushion against current liabilities for URI.

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

URI

Capital Goods industry group

0.80

Max
5.22
Q3
2.95
Median
2.08
Q1
1.43
URI
0.80
Min
0.36
Loading chart…
Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. United Rentals (URI): 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 United Rentals (URI) at 1.64 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

URI

Capital Goods industry group

1.64

Max
2.33
URI
1.64
Q3
1.12
Median
0.60
Q1
0.29
Min
0.00
Loading chart…
Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. United Rentals (URI): 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 United Rentals (URI)
MetricAITURI
Current Ratio (MRQ)2.890.80
Debt / Equity (MRQ)0.151.64
Net Debt / EBITDA0.273.12

Dividends

Dividend Yield (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 0.71% and United Rentals (URI) at 0.74% pay solid, industry-typical yields, sitting squarely within their peers’ usual range.

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%

URI

Capital Goods industry group

0.74%

Max
2.66%
Q3
1.14%
URI
0.74%
Median
0.24%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. United Rentals (URI): 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 United Rentals (URI) at 16.95% 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%

URI

Capital Goods industry group

16.95%

Max
67.39%
Q3
28.02%
URI
16.95%
Median
6.86%
Q1
0.00%
Min
0.00%
Loading chart…
Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their payout ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Dividend Metrics

Dividend metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricAITURI
Dividend Yield (TTM)0.71%0.74%
Dividend Payout Ratio (TTM)17.63%16.95%

Valuation

P/E Ratio (TTM)

Both Applied Industrial (AIT) at 25.10 and United Rentals (URI) at 23.24 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

URI

Capital Goods industry group

23.24

Max
59.38
Q3
35.92
Median
25.41
URI
23.24
Q1
19.47
Min
3.03
Loading chart…
Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. United Rentals (URI): 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 United Rentals (URI) at 3.74 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

URI

Capital Goods industry group

3.74

Max
7.54
Q3
3.76
URI
3.74
Median
2.15
Q1
1.03
Min
0.03
Loading chart…
Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. United Rentals (URI): 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 United Rentals (URI) at 6.75 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

URI

Capital Goods industry group

6.75

Max
9.66
URI
6.75
Q3
5.00
Median
3.12
Q1
1.81
Min
-1.08
Loading chart…
Applied Industrial (AIT) vs. United Rentals (URI): A comparison of their P/B ratio against the Capital Goods industry group benchmark.

Valuation Metrics

Valuation metrics for Applied Industrial (AIT) and United Rentals (URI)
MetricAITURI
P/E Ratio (TTM)25.1023.24
P/S Ratio (TTM)2.053.74
P/B Ratio (MRQ)5.506.75
Free Cash Flow Yield (TTM)3.24%3.24%