Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. $AIT Holdings Raised by William Blair Investment Management LLC

Key Points

• William Blair Investment Management increased its stake in Applied Industrial Technologies by 19.4% in the fourth quarter, buying an additional 22,446 shares and bringing its holdings to 138,003 shares worth about $35.4 million.
• Applied Industrial Technologies reported better-than-expected quarterly results, posting $2.65 EPS on revenue of $1.25 billion, with revenue up 7.3% year over year. The company also issued FY2026 guidance of $10.64 to $10.75 EPS.
• The company announced a quarterly dividend of $0.51 per share, payable on May 29, while analysts remain broadly positive with a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a target price of $313.67.

William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT - Free Report) by 19.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 138,003 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 22,446 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned about 0.37% of Applied Industrial Technologies worth $35,435,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. US Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 3.3% during the fourth quarter. US Asset Management LLC now owns 1,266 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $325,000 after purchasing an additional 41 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 3.3% during the third 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 last quarter. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 7.4% during the third 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 last quarter. Quadrant Capital Group LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 1.1% during the third 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 during the last quarter. Finally, Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 11.9% during the third quarter. Skandinaviska Enskilda Banken AB publ now owns 516 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $135,000 after purchasing an additional 55 shares during the last quarter. 93.52% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Industrial Technologies Stock Up 0.1%

Shares of Applied Industrial Technologies stock opened at $307.39 on Monday. The stock has a 50-day moving average price of $285.68 and a 200 day moving average price of $273.67. The company has a market cap of $11.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.03, a P/E/G ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.86. The company has a current ratio of 2.95, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. has a 1 year low of $218.48 and a 1 year high of $317.10.

Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.02. Applied Industrial Technologies had a return on equity of 21.64% and a net margin of 8.34%.The firm had revenue of $1.25 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.23 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.57 EPS. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. Applied Industrial Technologies has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 2.850-2.960 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 10.640-10.750 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. will post 10.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Industrial Technologies Dividend Announcement

The company also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. Applied Industrial Technologies's dividend payout ratio is presently 19.26%.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Applied Industrial Technologies news, VP Warren E. Hoffner III sold 8,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.04, for a total value of $2,448,320.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 40,751 shares of the company's stock, valued at $12,471,436.04. This represents a 16.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Applied Industrial Technologies News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Industrial Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $10.68 from $10.58, suggesting stronger expected earnings this year. Applied Industrial Technologies stock page
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also increased FY2027 EPS to $11.60 from $11.48 and FY2028 EPS to $12.67 from $12.62, reinforcing a bullish longer-term earnings trend. Applied Industrial Technologies stock page
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly estimates for Q1 2027, Q3 2027, and Q3 2028 were all nudged higher, which may support investor confidence in AIT’s operating momentum. Applied Industrial Technologies stock page
• Neutral Sentiment: One outlier was a cut to the Q2 2028 EPS estimate to $2.87 from $3.00, but this was offset by increases in several other periods. Applied Industrial Technologies stock page
• Neutral Sentiment: Most of the revisions are small, so the stock’s move likely reflects modest analyst optimism rather than a major new catalyst. Applied Industrial Technologies stock page

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on AIT shares. KeyCorp upped their target price on Applied Industrial Technologies from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Wall Street Zen downgraded Applied Industrial Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Applied Industrial Technologies from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Weiss Ratings reissued a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Finally, Robert W. Baird set a $317.00 price objective on Applied Industrial Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Five analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $313.67.

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.

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