Pier Capital LLC Boosts Holdings in Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. $AIT

Key Points

• Pier Capital LLC boosted its stake in Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT) by 70.8% in Q4, buying an additional 12,354 shares to hold 29,807 shares valued at about $7.65 million (≈0.08% of the company).
• VP Warren E. Hoffner III sold 8,000 shares on May 5 at an average price of $306.04 (a ~16.4% reduction in his position); insiders own about 1.60% of the stock while institutions hold 93.52%.
• Applied Industrial slightly beat quarterly expectations with $2.65 EPS on $1.25B revenue, set FY2026 guidance of 10.64–10.75 EPS, and announced a quarterly dividend of $0.51 (annualized $2.04, ~0.7% yield).

Pier Capital LLC grew its position in Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT - Free Report) by 70.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 29,807 shares of the industrial products company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,354 shares during the period. Pier Capital LLC owned about 0.08% of Applied Industrial Technologies worth $7,654,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. First Trust Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 22.7% in the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 933,067 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $243,577,000 after acquiring an additional 172,857 shares during the period. Wellington Management Group LLP raised its position in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 24.7% during the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 769,441 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $200,863,000 after purchasing an additional 152,197 shares during the last quarter. Capital International Investors acquired a new position in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies during the 3rd quarter worth about $200,456,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 1.5% during the 3rd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 720,352 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $188,040,000 after purchasing an additional 10,408 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. raised its position in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 7.7% during the 3rd quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 471,218 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $123,011,000 after purchasing an additional 33,790 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.52% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Applied Industrial Technologies

In other news, VP Warren E. Hoffner III sold 8,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.04, for a total value of $2,448,320.00. Following the sale, the vice president directly owned 40,751 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,471,436.04. This trade represents a 16.41% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Insiders own 1.60% of the company's stock.

Applied Industrial Technologies Stock Performance

Applied Industrial Technologies stock opened at $310.60 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $278.46 and a 200-day simple moving average of $269.64. Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $217.35 and a 1-year high of $317.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19, a current ratio of 2.95 and a quick ratio of 1.97. The stock has a market cap of $11.48 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 29.33, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.01 and a beta of 0.86.

Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, April 28th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $2.63 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.25 billion during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.23 billion. Applied Industrial Technologies had a net margin of 8.34% and a return on equity of 21.64%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the company posted $2.57 EPS. 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. On average, analysts expect that Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. will post 10.7 EPS for the current year.

Applied Industrial Technologies Dividend Announcement

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

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently weighed in on AIT shares. Robert W. Baird set a $317.00 price target on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 29th. KeyCorp upped their price target 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 downgraded shares of Applied Industrial Technologies from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Saturday, May 2nd. Finally, Weiss Ratings reiterated a "buy (b)" rating on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a report on Friday, April 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, 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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