Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT) have been given an average rating of “Moderate Buy” by the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the company, MarketBeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $287.50.

AIT has been the topic of several recent analyst reports. 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. Bank of America increased their target price on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies from $275.00 to $290.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Industrial Alliance Securities set a $290.00 target price on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Mizuho set a $305.00 price target on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, October 29th. Finally, Raymond James Financial downgraded shares of Applied Industrial Technologies from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th.

Applied Industrial Technologies Price Performance

NYSE:AIT opened at $253.37 on Tuesday. Applied Industrial Technologies has a one year low of $199.96 and a one year high of $282.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.30, a quick ratio of 2.36 and a current ratio of 3.55. The firm has a market cap of $9.56 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 24.39, a PEG ratio of 2.61 and a beta of 0.96. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $259.00 and its two-hundred day moving average is $248.60.

Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The industrial products company reported $2.63 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.47 by $0.16. Applied Industrial Technologies had a net margin of 8.61% and a return on equity of 21.86%. The business had revenue of $1.20 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.19 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the company posted $2.36 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 9.2% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Industrial Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.100-10.850 EPS. Research analysts expect that Applied Industrial Technologies will post 9.9 EPS for the current year.

Applied Industrial Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, November 28th. Investors of record on Friday, November 14th 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, November 14th. Applied Industrial Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is 17.71%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, VP Kurt W. Loring sold 8,523 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 22nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $267.06, for a total transaction of $2,276,152.38. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 19,273 shares in the company, valued at $5,147,047.38. This represents a 30.66% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, CEO Neil A. Schrimsher sold 26,671 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.46, for a total transaction of $7,000,070.66. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 149,735 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $39,299,448.10. This trade represents a 15.12% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Insiders sold a total of 42,660 shares of company stock worth $11,217,980 in the last 90 days. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of AIT. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Industrial Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. raised its holdings in Applied Industrial Technologies by 2,033.3% in the 2nd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 128 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 122 shares during the last quarter. Rise Advisors LLC raised its holdings in Applied Industrial Technologies by 111.1% in the 1st quarter. Rise Advisors LLC now owns 133 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Maseco LLP acquired a new stake in Applied Industrial Technologies in the 2nd quarter valued at about $35,000. Finally, Wayfinding Financial LLC acquired a new stake in Applied Industrial Technologies in the 1st quarter valued at about $38,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.52% of the company’s stock.

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.