Applied Industrial Technologies holds the cleaner structural position, with growth as the main driver and stability adding further support. Core & Main still has the edge on valuation, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup broadly confirms the structural lead — Applied Industrial Technologies holds the more constructive position. That puts structure and market broadly in agreement — Applied Industrial Technologies's lead looks more confirmed than conflicted.
The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels.
The clearest separation starts in growth, with stability adding a second layer of support.
Both operate in: Industrial Distribution
This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. AIT and CNM share the same industry classification.
For a similarity-based comparison, see how AIT and Core & Main each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.
Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.
The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.
Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.
Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. looks stronger, but the price setup still looks more supportive for Core & Main, Inc..
Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.
The clearest distance comes from a stronger growth profile.
Absolute pricing still looks more supportive for Core & Main, with a forward P/E that is 2.3 turns lower there.
Growth is the clearest driver of the lead, with stability adding further support — though valuation still provides a real counterweight.
Break down the AIT vs CNM comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.
Explore how AIT and CNM each compare against other companies in their peer groups.
Rule-based, descriptive analysis only. Derived from peer percentile dimensions. Not investment advice. Peer groups are determined algorithmically based on structural similarity — not by sector classification alone.
AssetNext scores reflect each company's structural position within its functional peer group — not a ranking against all stocks simultaneously. Peers are identified by similarity across eight financial dimensions, including revenue growth trajectory, margin structure, capital intensity, and earnings stability. A score of 75 means the company ranks in the top quartile within its own peer group, not the entire market.
Four dimension scores drive the overall peer score: Growth (revenue trajectory and expansion dynamics), Quality (margin structure and capital efficiency), Valuation (peer-relative pricing on standard multiples), and Stability (earnings consistency and financial predictability). Each dimension is scored 0–100 relative to the peer group, then combined into an overall peer score using equal weighting.
Scores are recalculated periodically as underlying financial data is updated. All analysis is descriptive and rule-based — AssetNext describes structural realities and never issues buy, sell or hold recommendations.