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Applied Industrial Technologies vs WESCO International: Which Stock Looks Stronger in 2026?

Applied Industrial Technologies holds the cleaner structural position, with the lead spread across profitability and stability. WESCO International still leads on growth and valuation, which keeps the comparison from looking entirely one-sided. The market setup is broadly comparable for both — no clear directional signal from price behavior. The market is not adding a decisive signal either way — the structural read carries the weight.

The comparison is based on similar long-term financial trajectories, not sector labels. Both peer scores are relative to the Russell 1000 universe, making them directly comparable.

Updated 2026-07-05

The clearest separation starts in profitability, but stability adds another real layer to the result. Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. leads by 8 points on the overall comparison score.

INDUSTRY COMPARISON

Both operate in: Industrial Distribution

This comparison is based on industry proximity, not on functional trajectory similarity. AIT and WCC share the same industry classification.

For a similarity-based comparison, see how AIT and WESCO International each position within their functional peer groups in AssetNext.

Peer-Relative Score
AIT
Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc.
60
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000
vs
WCC
WESCO International, Inc.
52
Peer-Score
Signal qualitylow
Peer basis: Russell 1000

Scores reflect position relative to comparable companies with similar long-term financial trajectories.

The largest gaps do not all point in the same direction.

Dimension spread: AIT vs WCC Profitability 62 22 Stability 69 29 Valuation 62 81 Growth 46 76 AIT WCC
Gap Ranking
#1 Profitability +40
#2 Stability +40
#3 Growth +30
#4 Valuation +19
Price Setup

Left means cheaper relative valuation. Higher means stronger structure.

Price setup map for AIT and WCC Stronger + cheaper Stronger + richer Weaker + cheaper Weaker + richer AITWCC Relative valuation Structural strength

Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. still looks stronger overall, though current pricing looks more supportive for WESCO International, Inc..

Valuation position uses peer-relative PE percentile (idx_pct_pe) where available.

Entry today — historical context

Where AIT and WCC each sit in their own 5-year price and valuation history.

BASED ON 5-YEAR HISTORY AIT Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 4 pct gap WCC Elevated · above norm 0th 50th 100th 99th 95th
AIT (99th percentile) and WCC (95th percentile) both sit in the upper portion of their own 5-year ranges. The historical entry context is broadly similar for both. This reflects entry timing, not which company is structurally stronger.

Describes historical entry positioning only. Descriptive — not investment advice.

Relative Position vs Comparable Companies
Profitability
Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. sits in the stronger part of the group on profitability, while WESCO International, Inc. is closer to mid-pack.
Stability
Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. ranks near the top of the group on stability; WESCO International, Inc. sits in the weaker half.
Profitability — Dominant Gap
AIT
62
WCC
22
Gap+40in favour of AIT

Capital efficiency adds support, with a 11.3-point ROIC advantage.

What keeps the gap from being one-sided

Earnings growth also leans toward WCC, which keeps the score lead from reading as a full growth sweep.

What this means for the comparison

The lead is built on both profitability and stability — though growth still provides a counterweight.

Explore full peer positioning in AssetNext

Break down the AIT vs WCC comparison across all dimensions with the full interactive tool.

Explore full breakdown →
Other comparisons with conflicting dimension signals

Explore how AIT and WCC 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.

How AssetNext Peer Scores Work

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.

Because scores are peer-relative, the same company can have slightly different scores in different index universes. On comparison pages, both companies are shown within their shared peer universe wherever possible — so the scores are directly comparable. The peer basis is stated on each score card.

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.