AIT vs BCC vs WSO Stock Comparison

Applied Industrial Technologies, Boise Cascade and Watsco Prices as of Nov 3, 2026 Peers: Industry group
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BCC BOISE CASCADE Co
$74.95 -0.1% 1M +9.7% 1Y
Market cap
$2.73B
P/E
22.7x
Revenue (TTM)
$6.59B
Div. yield
0.01%
Industrial Distribution Industrials
2 wins
WSO Watsco Inc
$311.94 +4.9% 1M -13.7% 1Y
Market cap
$12.18B
P/E
27.6x
Revenue (TTM)
$7.28B
Div. yield
0.04%
Industrial Distribution Industrials
4 wins

Head to Head

12 decided of 12

Applied Industrial Technologies leads on 6 of the 12 questions below (Applied Industrial Technologies 6, Watsco 4, Boise Cascade 2). Which ones matter depends on what you are buying for; a cheap multiple and slow growth often come together.

QuestionAITBCCWSOLeader
Larger companyMarket capitalisation $10.90B $2.73B $12.18B WSO
Cheaper on earningsLower P/E, profitable companies only 25.7x 22.7x 27.6x BCC
Cheaper on forward earningsLower price / next fiscal year consensus EPS 23.8x 20.1x 27.4x BCC
Faster revenue growthRevenue growth, trailing twelve months +8.5% +1.2% -3.0% AIT
More profitableNet margin, trailing twelve months 8.4% 1.8% 6.1% AIT
Better return on capitalReturn on invested capital 20.0% 5.3% 14.9% AIT
Less leveragedLower net debt / EBITDA 0.3x 0.2x -0.5x WSO
Higher dividend yieldTrailing dividend yield 0.01% 0.01% 0.04% WSO
Better 1-year returnPrice return, last 12 months +20.5% +9.7% -13.7% AIT
Better 5-year returnAnnualised price return, 5 years +25.4%/yr +2.2%/yr +0.9%/yr AIT
Less volatileAnnualised volatility, 1 year 28.0% 38.2% 35.5% AIT
Higher overall scoreMean of the five percentile scores vs peers 68/100 55/100 68/100 WSO

Percentile Scorecard

AITBCCWSO

Each axis is the mean percentile of its metrics against the company's industry group. 100 is the best in the group, 50 the middle.

Scores by Axis

AxisAITBCCWSO
Valuation 20 #37 of 46 96 #3 of 46 67 #16 of 46
Growth 61 #16 of 39 5 #37 of 39 34 #26 of 39
Profitability 95 #3 of 41 48 #22 of 41 78 #10 of 41
Financial Health 90 #6 of 49 79 #11 of 49 94 #4 of 49
Shareholder Returns 73 #10 of 34 46 #19 of 34 67 #12 of 34
Overall 68 55 68
  • AIT ranked among 49 companies in Distribution and Rental
  • BCC ranked among 49 companies in Distribution and Rental
  • WSO ranked among 49 companies in Distribution and Rental

Price Performance

Price return, split-adjusted, before dividends. Click a name to hide or show it.

Returns

PeriodAITBCCWSOSPY
1 month -11.2%-0.1%+4.9% -2.0%
3 months -14.5%-13.3%-6.9% -2.2%
6 months -0.1%+3.9%-25.8% +4.2%
Year to date +18.8%+1.8%-7.4% +10.6%
1 year +20.5%+9.7%-13.7% +10.4%
3 years +94.3%-28.2%-15.2% +73.6%
3 years, per year +24.8%-10.5%-5.4% +20.2%
5 years +209.3%+11.5%+4.6% +61.6%
5 years, per year +25.4%+2.2%+0.9% +10.1%
10 years +524.7%+318.7%+134.3% +261.3%
10 years, per year +20.1%+15.4%+8.9% +13.7%

Risk

MeasureAITBCCWSOSPY
Volatility, 1Y 28.0%38.2%35.5% 12.8%
Downside volatility, 1Y 31.4%31.3%36.5% 12.8%
Beta vs S&P 500, 1Y 0.820.890.92 1.00
Return / volatility, 1Y 0.730.25-0.39 0.81
Max drawdown, 5Y -26.5%-57.3%-50.8% -25.4%
From 52-week high -15.7%-17.7%-31.7% -3.2%
52-week high $362.17$91.03$456.86 $779.14
52-week low $240.63$65.47$279.97 $631.97

Valuation History

Weekly multiples on trailing twelve-month fundamentals. Negative or extreme readings (a loss year, a collapsed denominator) are left out so the chart stays readable.

MultipleAITBCCWSO
P/E now vs peer median 26.4xmedian 26.0x 21.8xmedian 26.0x 27.0xmedian 26.0x
P/S now vs peer median 2.2xmedian 1.0x 0.4xmedian 1.0x 1.5xmedian 1.0x
EV/EBITDA now vs peer median 18.0xmedian 13.3x 7.6xmedian 13.3x 14.8xmedian 13.3x
P/FCF now vs peer median 26.4xmedian 22.2x 19.6xmedian 22.2x 15.9xmedian 22.2x
P/B now vs peer median 5.9xmedian 2.5x 1.3xmedian 2.5x 3.2xmedian 2.5x
PEG now vs peer median 3.65median 2.22 -0.62median 2.22 -2.69median 2.22

Financial History

Reported figures by fiscal period, placed on the calendar year (or quarter) each period ended in, so companies with different fiscal years line up.

Trailing twelve monthsAITBCCWSO
Revenue $5.06B $6.59B $7.28B
Gross profit $1.54B $1.10B $2.00B
Operating income $564.03M $183.55M $684.85M
Net income $424.12M $120.31M $560.52M
Free cash flow $421.86M $133.00M $697.14M
EPS (diluted) $11.41 $3.44 $11.56
Cash & equivalents – $385.15M $364.19M
Total debt $282.30M $448.67M $119.72M
Shares (diluted) 37.18M 35.00M 38.19M
Enterprise value $10.79B $1.22B $9.87B

All Metrics

58 metrics · best in bold

Bold marks the best reading: the lowest positive value for multiples, leverage and payout, the highest for everything else. The bar under each value is its percentile against that company's own peers. Hover a value for its rank and the peer median.

Valuation

12 metrics
MetricAITBCCWSO
P/E 26.4x 21.8x 27.0x
P/FCF 26.4x 19.6x 15.9x
P/Operating cash flow 24.7x 9.4x 15.1x
P/S 2.2x 0.4x 1.5x
P/B 5.9x 1.3x 3.2x
P/Tangible book 7.0x 1.4x 3.4x
EV/EBITDA 18.0x 7.6x 14.8x
EV/EBIT 20.1x 14.6x 15.7x
EV/Revenue 2.2x 0.4x 1.5x
EV/FCF 26.8x 20.1x 15.4x
EV/Operating cash flow 25.1x 9.7x 14.7x
PEG (3Y EPS CAGR) 3.65 -0.62 -2.69

Growth

14 metrics
MetricAITBCCWSO
Revenue growth (1Y) 8.5% 1.2% -3.0%
Revenue CAGR (3Y) 4.4% -1.1% 0.5%
Gross profit growth (1Y) 8.3% -1.9% -3.1%
Gross profit CAGR (3Y) 5.6% -8.5% 0.1%
Operating income growth (1Y) 9.7% -29.4% -11.1%
Operating income CAGR (3Y) 5.0% -34.7% -5.2%
Net income growth (1Y) 5.6% -37.7% -10.8%
Net income CAGR (3Y) 5.3% -37.9% -6.2%
EPS growth (1Y) 8.7% -33.2% -11.2%
EPS CAGR (3Y) 7.2% -35.1% -10.0%
Operating cash flow growth (1Y) -6.8% 27.4% 71.9%
Operating cash flow CAGR (3Y) 5.5% -28.2% 21.4%
Free cash flow growth (1Y) -7.3% 309.3% 76.8%
Free cash flow CAGR (3Y) 5.5% -39.4% 22.7%

Profitability

14 metrics
MetricAITBCCWSO
Gross margin 30.4% 16.7% 27.5%
EBITDA margin 12.4% 5.4% 10.0%
Operating margin 11.2% 2.8% 9.4%
Pretax margin 11.0% 2.5% 9.7%
Net margin 8.4% 1.8% 6.1%
FCF margin 8.3% 2.0% 9.6%
Operating cash flow margin 8.9% 4.2% 10.1%
Return on equity 22.6% 5.9% 16.8%
Return on assets 14.2% 3.5% 11.5%
Return on invested capital 20.0% 5.3% 14.9%
Return on capital employed 22.9% 6.7% 18.1%
Asset turnover 1.7x 1.9x 1.5x
Cash conversion (OCF / net income) 1.1x 2.3x 1.3x
Stock comp / revenue 0.2% 0.2% 0.5%

Financial Health

11 metrics
MetricAITBCCWSO
Debt / assets 9.5% 13.2% 2.4%
Debt / equity 0.1x 0.2x 0.0x
Net debt / EBITDA 0.3x 0.2x -0.5x
Debt / FCF 0.7x 3.4x 0.2x
Liabilities / assets 36.8% 39.8% 31.7%
Equity / assets 63.2% 60.2% 68.3%
Interest coverage – 7.0x –
Current ratio 2.9x 2.8x 3.2x
Quick ratio 1.7x 1.3x 1.4x
Cash ratio 0.2x 0.6x 0.4x
Altman Z-score 10.17 4.29 6.93

Shareholder Returns

7 metrics
MetricAITBCCWSO
Dividend yield 0.7% 1.2% 4.1%
Net buyback yield 3.1% 7.1% -0.5%
Shareholder yield 3.7% 8.3% 3.6%
Payout ratio (earnings) 17.4% 28.4% 89.1%
Payout ratio (FCF) 17.5% 25.7% 71.6%
Dividend growth (1Y) 10.6% -2.2% 11.3%
Dividend CAGR (3Y) 11.1% -43.2% 11.4%

Analyst Estimates

Solid lines are reported fiscal-year results; dashed lines are the consensus for the years ahead. Hover a year for the analysts' high and low, and how each result compared with its estimate.

ConsensusAITBCCWSO
Forward P/E 23.8xFY2027 20.1xFY2026 27.4xFY2026
EPS, next fiscal year $12.83FY2027 $3.73FY2026 $11.37FY2026
EPS growth, next FY +17.2%FY2027 +5.7%FY2026 -7.2%FY2026
EPS growth, the year after +7.8% +29.2% +9.1%
Revenue, next fiscal year $4.91BFY2027 $6.80BFY2026 $7.25BFY2026
Revenue growth, next FY -1.1%FY2027 +6.3%FY2026 +0.1%FY2026
Revenue growth, the year after +5.4% +4.2% +7.9%
AIT estimates →BCC estimates →WSO estimates →

Institutional Ownership

13F filings, quarter ended Jun 30, 2026
HoldersAITBCCWSO
Held by institutions 94.4% 96.0% 100.0%
Institutions holding 619 333 788
Change in shares held, QoQ +1.3% -0.4% -0.9%
Institutions buying 328 164 342
Institutions selling 207 128 306
Buyers to sellers 1.58 1.28 1.12
AIT holders →BCC holders →WSO holders →

Return Correlation

Daily returns, last 12 months

1.00 means two stocks move in lockstep, 0 that they move independently. Pairs below about 0.5 diversify each other.

AITBCCWSO
AIT 1.00 0.44 0.41
BCC 0.44 1.00 0.51
WSO 0.41 0.51 1.00

Add a Peer

Largest companies in the same industry
AIT · Industrial Distribution
+GWWW.W. Grainger +FASTFastenal +FERGFerguson Enterprises +RSReliance +WCCWesco International +AVTRAvantor +QXOQxo +CNMCore & Main
Plot all 81 Industrial Distribution stocks →

Related Comparisons

AIT vs GWWW.W. Grainger AIT vs FASTFastenal AIT vs FERGFerguson Enterprises AIT vs RSReliance

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is bigger, AIT, BCC and WSO?

Watsco (WSO) is the largest by market capitalisation: Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) $10.90B, Boise Cascade (BCC) $2.73B, Watsco (WSO) $12.18B.

Which stock is cheaper, AIT, BCC and WSO?

Boise Cascade (BCC) trades on the lowest price-to-earnings ratio (Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) 25.7x, Boise Cascade (BCC) 22.7x, Watsco (WSO) 27.6x). On next year's consensus earnings, Boise Cascade (BCC) is cheapest (Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) 23.8x, Boise Cascade (BCC) 20.1x, Watsco (WSO) 27.4x). A lower multiple can reflect slower expected growth, so read it next to the growth figures.

Which company is growing faster?

Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) grew revenue fastest over the trailing twelve months: Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) +8.5%, Boise Cascade (BCC) +1.2%, Watsco (WSO) -3.0%.

Which company is more profitable?

Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) has the highest net margin (Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) 8.4%, Boise Cascade (BCC) 1.8%, Watsco (WSO) 6.1%). On return on invested capital, Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) leads (Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) 20.0%, Boise Cascade (BCC) 5.3%, Watsco (WSO) 14.9%).

Which stock has performed better?

Over the past year Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) returned the most: Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) +20.5%, Boise Cascade (BCC) +9.7%, Watsco (WSO) -13.7%. Over five years, Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) compounded fastest (Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) +25.4%/yr, Boise Cascade (BCC) +2.2%/yr, Watsco (WSO) +0.9%/yr). Returns are price only, before dividends.

Which pays a higher dividend?

Watsco (WSO) has the highest dividend yield: Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) 0.01%, Boise Cascade (BCC) 0.01%, Watsco (WSO) 0.04%.

Which stock is riskier?

By one-year price volatility, Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) has been the steadiest (Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) 28.0%, Boise Cascade (BCC) 38.2%, Watsco (WSO) 35.5%). Volatility measures how widely the price swings, not the risk of the business.

Which is the better stock, AIT, BCC and WSO?

There is no single answer; it depends on what you are buying for. On the 12 head-to-head measures on this page, Applied Industrial Technologies (AIT) leads on 6. Business Quant does not give investment advice; use the comparison as a starting point for your own research.

Data from SEC filings, exchange prices and consensus estimates, via Business Quant. Percentile scores compare each company with its own peer group, so two companies' scores are each relative to different peers unless you rank against the whole market. Price returns exclude dividends. Nothing on this page is investment advice.