Zacks Research Brokers Reduce Earnings Estimates for AIT

Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT) – Analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q1 2027 earnings estimates for Applied Industrial Technologies in a research report issued on Thursday, April 2nd. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $2.76 for the quarter, down from their previous estimate 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.

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, topping the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.03. Applied Industrial Technologies had a net margin of 8.49% and a return on equity of 21.74%. The firm had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.17 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.39 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Industrial Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.450-10.750 EPS.

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

Applied Industrial Technologies Price Performance

Applied Industrial Technologies stock opened at $272.68 on Tuesday. Applied Industrial Technologies has a 12-month low of $202.41 and a 12-month high of $296.70. The stock has a market cap of $10.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.94, a PEG ratio of 2.56 and a beta of 0.82. The company has a 50-day moving average price of $271.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $264.06. The company has a current ratio of 3.68, a quick ratio of 2.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Industrial Technologies

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Torren Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at about $25,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its position in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 890.0% during the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 99 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies during the third quarter valued at about $27,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies during the third quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies during the fourth quarter valued at about $32,000. 93.52% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Industrial Technologies

In other Applied Industrial Technologies news, CEO Neil A. Schrimsher sold 19,207 shares of Applied Industrial Technologies stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.85, for a total transaction of $5,490,320.95. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 130,528 shares in the company, valued at $37,311,428.80. This trade represents a 12.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, VP Warren E. Hoffner III sold 4,000 shares of Applied Industrial Technologies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $288.62, for a total transaction of $1,154,480.00. Following the sale, 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 sold a total of 28,654 shares of company stock worth $8,212,829 over the last three months. Insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Applied Industrial Technologies Increases Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Shareholders of record on Friday, February 13th were given a dividend of $0.51 per share. This is a boost from Applied Industrial Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. Applied Industrial Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 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.