Zacks Research Has Bullish Forecast for AIT Q1 Earnings

Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research raised their Q1 2026 earnings estimates for shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a report released on Thursday, July 10th. Zacks Research analyst S. Roy now anticipates that the industrial products company will earn $2.51 per share for the quarter, up from their prior forecast of $2.50. The consensus estimate for Applied Industrial Technologies' current full-year earnings is $9.90 per share.

Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $2.57 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.40 by $0.17. Applied Industrial Technologies had a net margin of 8.64% and a return on equity of 22.01%. The firm had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.48 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 1.8% compared to the same quarter last year.

Other research analysts have also issued research reports about the company. KeyCorp decreased their target price on Applied Industrial Technologies from $325.00 to $275.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Monday, March 17th. Raymond James Financial reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $250.00 price target (down from $265.00) on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a research note on Friday, May 2nd. Wall Street Zen raised Applied Industrial Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Sunday, June 22nd. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their target price on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies from $320.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 17th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a buy rating, According to data from MarketBeat, Applied Industrial Technologies presently has a consensus rating of "Buy" and a consensus target price of $285.00.

Applied Industrial Technologies Stock Down 0.8%

AIT traded down $2.03 on Friday, hitting $253.92. The company had a trading volume of 344,991 shares, compared to its average volume of 347,920. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $231.65 and a 200-day simple moving average of $237.61. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 3.57 and a quick ratio of 2.51. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.67 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.12 and a beta of 0.91. Applied Industrial Technologies has a 52-week low of $188.71 and a 52-week high of $282.98.

Applied Industrial Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Friday, August 15th. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.72%. Applied Industrial Technologies's payout ratio is currently 18.47%.

Applied Industrial Technologies announced that its Board of Directors has initiated a stock buyback program on Thursday, May 1st that authorizes the company to repurchase 1,500,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the industrial products company to buy shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are typically a sign that the company's management believes its stock is undervalued.

Institutional Trading of Applied Industrial Technologies

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AIT. Proficio Capital Partners LLC purchased a new position in Applied Industrial Technologies in the 4th quarter worth about $6,767,000. Raymond James Financial Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in the fourth quarter worth approximately $25,518,000. Larson Financial Group LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 5,900.0% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 120 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the period. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 2.8% during the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 35,988 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $8,958,000 after purchasing an additional 967 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank lifted its position in Applied Industrial Technologies by 10.1% during the fourth quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 7,433 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $1,780,000 after purchasing an additional 680 shares during the period. 93.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

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.