Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. Raises Stock Holdings in Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. $AIT

Key Points

• Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management sharply increased its stake in Applied Industrial Technologies, boosting holdings by 2,920.5% to 19,724 shares valued at about $5.1 million.
• Applied Industrial Technologies beat earnings expectations, reporting $2.65 EPS on revenue of $1.25 billion, both slightly above analyst estimates, while also raising full-year and Q4 2026 guidance.
• Institutional ownership remains very high at 93.52%, and analysts currently see the stock as a Moderate Buy with a consensus price target of $313.67, while the company also declared a quarterly dividend of $0.51 per share.

Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. boosted its stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT - Free Report) by 2,920.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the SEC. The firm owned 19,724 shares of the industrial products company's stock after purchasing an additional 19,071 shares during the period. Northwestern Mutual Wealth Management Co. owned approximately 0.05% of Applied Industrial Technologies worth $5,065,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. grew its holdings in Applied Industrial Technologies by 4.1% during the first quarter. Goldman Sachs Group Inc. now owns 381,187 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $85,897,000 after acquiring an additional 14,926 shares during the period. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in Applied Industrial Technologies during the first quarter valued at approximately $318,000. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC raised its position in Applied Industrial Technologies by 12.4% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 98,348 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $22,162,000 after acquiring an additional 10,863 shares in the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth raised its position in Applied Industrial Technologies by 4.5% during the first quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 1,341 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $302,000 after acquiring an additional 58 shares in the last quarter. Finally, M&T Bank Corp purchased a new position in Applied Industrial Technologies during the second quarter valued at approximately $217,000. 93.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Industrial Technologies Price Performance

NYSE:AIT opened at $307.39 on Friday. Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. has a 52 week low of $218.48 and a 52 week high of $317.10. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 2.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. The stock has a market capitalization of $11.36 billion, a PE ratio of 29.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.86. The stock's 50-day moving average price is $285.68 and its 200-day moving average price is $273.52.

Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.23 billion. During the same period last year, the firm earned $2.57 EPS. The company's quarterly revenue 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, equities analysts expect that Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. will post 10.7 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Applied Industrial Technologies Announces Dividend

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Stockholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be given a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.7%. Applied Industrial Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.26%.

Insider Activity at Applied Industrial Technologies

In other news, VP Warren E. Hoffner III sold 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.04, for a total transaction of $2,448,320.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 40,751 shares in the company, valued at $12,471,436.04. This trade represents a 16.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

AIT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a research report on Friday, April 24th. Wall Street Zen cut Applied Industrial Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Robert W. Baird set a $317.00 price target on Applied Industrial Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on Applied Industrial Technologies from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on Applied Industrial Technologies from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an "overweight" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 26th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the 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.

More Applied Industrial Technologies News

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

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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