Which has the lower trailing P/E, AIT or STRL?

AIT has the lower trailing P/E: AIT trades at 29.17 and STRL at 32.99. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.

Which has grown faster, AIT or STRL?

Over the past five years, STRL grew revenue faster — AIT at a 8.95% CAGR versus STRL at 18.89%.

Does AIT or STRL pay a bigger dividend?

AIT pays a dividend (0.62% yield), while STRL is a former payer with no current dividend run rate.

Is AIT or STRL more profitable?

STRL runs the higher net margin — AIT at 8.35% versus STRL at 12.55%.

How have AIT and STRL total returns compared?

Over the past 10 years, AIT delivered 22.46% and STRL delivered 52.48% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (AIT) vs Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. (STRL)

A side-by-side comparison of Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. and Sterling Infrastructure, Inc. across valuation, profitability, dividends, and growth — built entirely from reported fundamentals, as of September 3, 2026. Differences are shown without an overall score or investment verdict.

AIT

Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc.

$11.92B

$322.46IndustrialsDelayed quote: Sep 3, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

STRL

Sterling Infrastructure, Inc.

$14.12B

$460.03IndustrialsDelayed quote: Sep 3, 2026, 4:00 PM EDT

Total return — AIT vs STRL

growth of $100 · dividends reinvested · last 10y

AIT +660.1% (+22.5%/yr)STRL +6972.6% (+53.1%/yr)STRL compounded faster over this window

Log scale — wide-divergence pair

AIT STRL

AIT vs STRL: by the numbers

•STRL is the larger company ($14.12B vs $11.92B market cap).
•AIT trades at the lower trailing earnings multiple (29.17 vs 32.99 P/E), one valuation lens rather than an overall verdict.
•STRL converts more revenue to profit (12.55% vs 8.35% net margin).
•STRL grew revenue faster over the past five years (18.89% vs 8.95% CAGR).
•AIT pays a dividend (0.62% yield), while STRL is a former payer with no current dividend run rate.

Metrics side by side

Valuation

Metric	AIT	STRL
P/E ratio	29.17	32.99
Forward P/E	29.83	23.11
P/S ratio	2.43	4.14
P/B ratio	6.50	10.49
EV / EBITDA	20.77	19.77
FCF yield	3.80%	3.38%

Profitability

Metric	AIT	STRL
Gross margin	30.34%	23.59%
Operating margin	11.06%	18.06%
Net margin	8.35%	12.55%
ROE	22.27%	31.79%
ROIC	17.08%	24.77%

Dividends

Metric	AIT	STRL
Dividend yield	0.62%	N/A
Payout ratio	17.94%	N/A

Growth (annualized)

Metric	AIT	STRL
Revenue CAGR (5Y)	8.95%	18.89%
EPS CAGR (5Y)	24.35%	44.28%
FCF CAGR (5Y)	15.24%	32.42%
Total return CAGR (5Y)	30.51%	81.16%

Frequently asked

Which has the lower trailing P/E, AIT or STRL?: AIT has the lower trailing P/E: AIT trades at 29.17 and STRL at 32.99. P/E is one valuation measure and does not by itself establish which business is cheaper.
Which has grown faster, AIT or STRL?: Over the past five years, STRL grew revenue faster — AIT at a 8.95% CAGR versus STRL at 18.89%.
Does AIT or STRL pay a bigger dividend?: AIT pays a dividend (0.62% yield), while STRL is a former payer with no current dividend run rate.
Is AIT or STRL more profitable?: STRL runs the higher net margin — AIT at 8.35% versus STRL at 12.55%.
How have AIT and STRL total returns compared?: Over the past 10 years, AIT delivered 22.46% and STRL delivered 52.48% annualized total return. Past performance doesn't predict future results.

Go deeper

Full AIT analysis Full STRL analysis Interactive comparison tool

Dig into the metrics

Applied Industrial Technologies P/E ratio Sterling Infrastructure P/E ratio Applied Industrial Technologies dividend yield Applied Industrial Technologies ROE Sterling Infrastructure ROE Applied Industrial Technologies operating margin Sterling Infrastructure operating margin Applied Industrial Technologies revenue growth Sterling Infrastructure revenue growth Applied Industrial Technologies free cash flow Sterling Infrastructure free cash flow

Applied Industrial Technologies & Sterling Infrastructure appear in these rankings

Fastest Revenue Growth Stocks Highest ROE Stocks Highest ROIC Stocks Highest 10-Year Total Return Stocks

Figures are sourced from reported fundamentals and the latest end-of-day price. This comparison is informational only and is not investment advice. Past performance does not predict future results. See our methodology. Compiled by TGMCharts Research · data verified September 3, 2026.