Zacks Research Has Negative Outlook of AIT Q1 Earnings

Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT) – Research analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Applied Industrial Technologies in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, September 4th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the industrial products company will earn $2.43 per share for the quarter, down from their prior forecast of $2.51. The consensus estimate for Applied Industrial Technologies’ current full-year earnings is $9.90 per share.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies from $265.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Applied Industrial Technologies from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Oppenheimer increased their price target on Applied Industrial Technologies from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, August 15th. Bank of America lifted their price objective on Applied Industrial Technologies from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Industrial Alliance Securities set a $290.00 price objective on Applied Industrial Technologies in a report on Friday, August 22nd. Six equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $285.00.

Applied Industrial Technologies Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:AIT opened at $261.66 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $9.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.86, a P/E/G ratio of 2.81 and a beta of 1.00. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $262.48 and a 200 day moving average price of $240.46. Applied Industrial Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $191.31 and a fifty-two 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 posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The industrial products company reported $2.80 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.20. Applied Industrial Technologies had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 8.61%.The company had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.18 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the firm earned $2.64 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Industrial Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.000-10.75 EPS.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Applied Industrial Technologies

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Osaic Holdings Inc. increased its stake in Applied Industrial Technologies by 37.7% in the second quarter. Osaic Holdings Inc. now owns 3,828 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $888,000 after purchasing an additional 1,048 shares during the period. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC increased its stake in Applied Industrial Technologies by 39.0% in the 2nd quarter. Orion Porfolio Solutions LLC now owns 8,628 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,006,000 after buying an additional 2,423 shares during the period. Cim Investment Management Inc. increased its stake in Applied Industrial Technologies by 100.8% in the 2nd quarter. Cim Investment Management Inc. now owns 3,897 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $920,000 after buying an additional 1,956 shares during the period. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Applied Industrial Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $286,000. Finally, Hudson Bay Capital Management LP bought a new position in Applied Industrial Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth about $1,504,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 93.52% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity at Applied Industrial Technologies

In related news, CEO Neil A. Schrimsher sold 26,671 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 21st. The shares were sold at an average price of $262.46, for a total transaction of $7,000,070.66. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 149,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,299,448.10. This represents a 15.12% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Also, VP Jason W. Vasquez sold 7,466 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.08, for a total transaction of $1,941,757.28. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 14,491 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $3,768,819.28. The trade was a 34.00% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last ninety days, insiders have sold 42,660 shares of company stock worth $11,217,980. Insiders own 1.67% of the company’s stock.

Applied Industrial Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a dividend of $0.46 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Applied Industrial Technologies’s payout ratio is currently 18.18%.

Applied Industrial Technologies Company Profile

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.