Zacks Research Analysts Increase Earnings Estimates for AIT

Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT - Free Report) - Analysts at Zacks Research upped their FY2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a research note issued on Tuesday, June 10th. Zacks Research analyst S. Roy now expects that the industrial products company will post earnings of $10.46 per share for the year, up from their prior forecast of $10.44. The consensus estimate for Applied Industrial Technologies' current full-year earnings is $9.90 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Applied Industrial Technologies' Q1 2027 earnings at $2.72 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.73 EPS and Q3 2027 earnings at $2.97 EPS.

A number of other equities analysts have also issued reports on the stock. Raymond James restated an "outperform" rating and set a $250.00 target price (down from $265.00) on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a research report on Friday, May 2nd. KeyCorp decreased their price target on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies from $325.00 to $275.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 17th. Finally, Loop Capital dropped their price objective on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies from $320.00 to $290.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research note on Thursday, April 17th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $285.00.

Applied Industrial Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of Applied Industrial Technologies stock traded down $5.19 on Friday, hitting $225.05. The stock had a trading volume of 257,053 shares, compared to its average volume of 311,696. The company's 50 day moving average price is $227.28 and its 200 day moving average price is $241.54. The stock has a market cap of $8.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.80, a P/E/G ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 0.93. The company has a current ratio of 3.76, a quick ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. Applied Industrial Technologies has a 52-week low of $181.35 and a 52-week high of $282.98.

Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 1st. The industrial products company reported $2.57 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.40 by $0.17. Applied Industrial Technologies had a net margin of 8.62% and a return on equity of 22.37%. The company had revenue of $1.17 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.48 earnings per share. The firm's revenue was up 1.8% on a year-over-year basis.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Industrial Technologies

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System lifted its stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 0.9% in the fourth quarter. Louisiana State Employees Retirement System now owns 10,700 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $2,562,000 after purchasing an additional 100 shares during the period. Legato Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 72.4% during the 4th quarter. Legato Capital Management LLC now owns 2,750 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $659,000 after acquiring an additional 1,155 shares in the last quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. increased its stake in Applied Industrial Technologies by 189.2% in the 4th quarter. Values First Advisors Inc. now owns 1,475 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $353,000 after purchasing an additional 965 shares in the last quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp raised its holdings in Applied Industrial Technologies by 34.6% during the fourth quarter. Van ECK Associates Corp now owns 34,054 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $8,155,000 after purchasing an additional 8,760 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Rhumbline Advisers boosted its position in Applied Industrial Technologies by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 124,195 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $29,741,000 after purchasing an additional 1,868 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.52% of the company's stock.

Applied Industrial Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 30th. Investors of record on Thursday, May 15th were issued a dividend of $0.46 per share. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.82%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Thursday, May 15th. Applied Industrial Technologies's dividend payout ratio is presently 18.47%.

Applied Industrial Technologies announced that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, May 1st that allows the company to repurchase 1,500,000 outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization allows the industrial products company to repurchase shares of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase programs are generally a sign that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

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.