Zacks Research Issues Negative Outlook for AIT Earnings

Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT) – Stock analysts at Zacks Research cut their Q1 2027 EPS estimates for Applied Industrial Technologies in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, April 2nd. Zacks Research analyst Team now forecasts that the industrial products company will post earnings of $2.76 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $2.79. The consensus estimate for Applied Industrial Technologies’ current full-year earnings is $9.90 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Applied Industrial Technologies’ FY2027 earnings at $11.48 EPS.

A number of other research firms also recently commented on AIT. Wall Street Zen downgraded Applied Industrial Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. KeyCorp raised their price objective on Applied Industrial Technologies from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a report on Monday, December 29th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Industrial Technologies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $294.38.

Applied Industrial Technologies Trading Up 0.6%

AIT traded up $1.68 during trading hours on Tuesday, reaching $271.23. The company’s stock had a trading volume of 90,946 shares, compared to its average volume of 338,309. The stock has a market cap of $10.12 billion, a PE ratio of 25.80, a P/E/G ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.82. Applied Industrial Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $202.41 and a fifty-two week high of $296.70. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 3.68 and a quick ratio of 2.56. The business’s 50-day moving average is $271.48 and its 200-day moving average is $263.97.

Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $2.51 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.16 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.17 billion. Applied Industrial Technologies had a net margin of 8.49% and a return on equity of 21.74%. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $2.39 EPS. Applied Industrial Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.450-10.750 EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Industrial Technologies

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies during the fourth quarter worth about $25,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its holdings in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 890.0% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 99 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after purchasing an additional 89 shares in the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in the third quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Applied Industrial Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth approximately $29,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Industrial Technologies during the 4th quarter worth approximately $32,000. 93.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Industrial Technologies

In other Applied Industrial Technologies news, VP Jason W. Vasquez sold 5,447 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $287.87, for a total transaction of $1,568,027.89. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 14,491 shares in the company, valued at $4,171,524.17. This represents a 27.32% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Warren E. Hoffner III sold 4,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $288.62, for a total value of $1,154,480.00. Following the transaction, the vice president owned 52,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $15,224,993.62. This represents a 7.05% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have sold a total of 28,654 shares of company stock valued at $8,212,829 over the last quarter. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Applied Industrial Technologies Increases Dividend

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. This is a positive change from Applied Industrial Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.8%. Applied Industrial Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is presently 19.41%.

About Applied Industrial Technologies

Applied Industrial Technologies, listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the symbol AIT, is a leading distributor of industrial products and services. The company offers a comprehensive range of bearings, power transmission components, fluid power products, industrial rubber products, and automation solutions. Through its network of distribution centers and branch locations, Applied Industrial Technologies serves diverse end markets including manufacturing, oil and gas, mining, food and beverage, and wastewater treatment.

Founded in 1923 and headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio, Applied Industrial Technologies has grown through a combination of organic expansion and strategic acquisitions.