Warren Hoffner III Sells 8,000 Shares of Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT) Stock

Key Points

• Insider sale: VP Warren Hoffner III sold 8,000 AIT shares on May 5 at an average price of $306.04 for $2.45M, reducing his stake by 16.41% to 40,751 shares (SEC filing).
• Shares jumped about 3.5% to $316.17 on heavy volume (455,431 vs. avg. 332,015), trading near their 1-year high and leaving the company with a market cap of roughly $11.7 billion.
• Applied Industrial beat quarterly EPS and revenue estimates (EPS $2.65 vs. $2.63; revenue $1.25B), issued FY2026 guidance of 10.64–10.75 EPS, declared a $0.51 quarterly dividend (yield ~0.6%), and holds a consensus "Moderate Buy" analyst rating with an average target near $313.67.

Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT - Get Free Report) VP Warren Hoffner III sold 8,000 shares of the business'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 approximately $12,471,436.04. This represents a 16.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website.

Applied Industrial Technologies Stock Up 3.5%

Shares of Applied Industrial Technologies stock traded up $10.69 on Wednesday, reaching $316.17. 455,431 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 332,015. Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. has a 1-year low of $213.78 and a 1-year high of $316.46. The company has a market cap of $11.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.86, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.90 and a beta of 0.86. 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's 50 day moving average price is $277.15 and its 200-day moving average price is $268.70.

Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.02. The company had revenue of $1.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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 revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.57 earnings per share. 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 forecast that Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. will post 10.7 EPS for the current year.

Applied Industrial Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be paid a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, May 15th. Applied Industrial Technologies's dividend payout ratio is currently 19.26%.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Industrial Technologies

Large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Wolverine Asset Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies during the third quarter worth $1,044,000. Alps Advisors Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 33.0% during the third quarter. Alps Advisors Inc. now owns 32,824 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $8,569,000 after purchasing an additional 8,153 shares during the period. First Trust Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 22.7% during the third quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 933,067 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $243,577,000 after purchasing an additional 172,857 shares during the period. Citigroup Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 44.4% during the third quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 30,319 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $7,915,000 after purchasing an additional 9,321 shares during the period. Finally, AlphaQuest LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 210.3% during the third quarter. AlphaQuest LLC now owns 12,789 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $3,339,000 after purchasing an additional 8,668 shares during the period. 93.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

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