Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT) has earned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $287.8571.

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on AIT shares. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Applied Industrial Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, July 26th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies from $265.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, August 15th. Finally, Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Applied Industrial Technologies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Friday, August 15th.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Industrial Technologies

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AIT. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its position in Applied Industrial Technologies by 51.2% in the first quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 130 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 111.1% during the first quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 133 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 2,033.3% during the second quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 128 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Maseco LLP bought a new stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies during the second quarter worth approximately $35,000. Finally, Harbor Investment Advisory LLC increased its stake in Applied Industrial Technologies by 97.5% in the first quarter. Harbor Investment Advisory LLC now owns 160 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $36,000 after purchasing an additional 79 shares in the last quarter. 93.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Industrial Technologies Trading Down 0.3%

Applied Industrial Technologies stock opened at $262.25 on Thursday. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $252.84 and a 200 day moving average price of $240.42. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.90 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.91, a P/E/G ratio of 3.21 and a beta of 0.94. Applied Industrial Technologies has a 52 week low of $191.31 and a 52 week high of $282.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a quick ratio of 2.36 and a current ratio of 3.32.

Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The industrial products company reported $2.80 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.20. The company had revenue of $1.22 billion during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.18 billion. Applied Industrial Technologies had a net margin of 8.61% and a return on equity of 21.78%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted $2.64 EPS. Applied Industrial Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.000-10.75 EPS. Research analysts forecast that Applied Industrial Technologies will post 9.9 EPS for the current year.

Applied Industrial Technologies announced that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, May 1st that allows the company to buyback 1,500,000 outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the industrial products company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are generally an indication that the company’s board believes its shares are undervalued.

Applied Industrial Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, August 15th will be given a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. Applied Industrial Technologies’s payout ratio is 18.18%.

About Applied Industrial Technologies

Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc distributes industrial motion, power, control, and automation technology solutions in North America, Australia, New Zealand, and Singapore. It operates in two segments, Service Center Based Distribution, and Engineered Solutions. The company distributes bearings, power transmission products, engineered fluid power components and systems, specialty flow control solutions, advanced automation products, industrial rubber products, linear motion components, automation solutions, tools, safety products, oilfield supplies, and other industrial and maintenance supplies; and motors, belting, drives, couplings, pumps, hydraulic and pneumatic components, filtration supplies, valves, fittings, process instrumentation, actuators, and hoses, filtration supplies, as well as other related supplies for general operational needs of customers' machinery and equipment.