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

Shares of Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have assigned a buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month target price among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $294.3750.

A number of research firms have issued reports on AIT. Weiss Ratings restated a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a report on Monday, December 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Applied Industrial Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, March 21st. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their target price on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th.

Insider Activity

In other news, VP Warren E. Hoffner III sold 4,000 shares of the 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 transaction, the vice president owned 52,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $15,224,993.62. This represents a 7.05% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Neil A. Schrimsher sold 19,207 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $285.85, for a total value of $5,490,320.95. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer owned 130,528 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $37,311,428.80. This represents a 12.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last 90 days, insiders have sold 28,654 shares of company stock worth $8,212,829. Company insiders own 1.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Compound Planning Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 4.7% during the fourth quarter. Compound Planning Inc. now owns 822 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $211,000 after acquiring an additional 37 shares in the last quarter. US Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 3.3% in the 4th quarter. US Asset Management LLC now owns 1,266 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $325,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares in the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its position in Applied Industrial Technologies by 3.3% in the 3rd quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,410 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $369,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. grew its position in Applied Industrial Technologies by 7.4% in the 3rd quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. now owns 653 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $170,000 after purchasing an additional 45 shares during the period. Finally, Quadrant Capital Group LLC increased its stake in Applied Industrial Technologies by 1.1% during the 3rd quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC now owns 4,631 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $1,209,000 after purchasing an additional 51 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.52% of the company’s stock.

Applied Industrial Technologies Stock Performance

AIT stock opened at $260.41 on Friday. The firm has a market cap of $9.71 billion, a PE ratio of 24.78, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.55 and a beta of 0.81. The company has a current ratio of 3.68, a quick ratio of 2.56 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $273.71 and a 200-day moving average price of $263.87. Applied Industrial Technologies has a 1-year low of $199.96 and a 1-year high of $296.70.

Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $2.51 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.48 by $0.03. Applied Industrial Technologies had a return on equity of 21.74% and a net margin of 8.49%.The company had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $2.39 EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Industrial Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.450-10.750 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Applied Industrial Technologies will post 9.9 earnings per share for the current year.

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 paid a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.8%. This is an increase from Applied Industrial Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, February 13th. Applied Industrial Technologies’s 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.