Zacks Research Has Bearish Estimate for AIT Q1 Earnings

Key Points

• Zacks Research has revised its Q1 2026 earnings estimate for Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE: AIT) downward from $2.51 to $2.43 per share.
• Analysts' consensus now projects a full-year earnings of $9.90 per share, with the current stock target price averaging $285.00 and a rating of "Moderate Buy."
• The company's recent quarterly earnings report showed a profit of $2.80 per share, exceeding expectations and resulting in a 5.5% year-over-year revenue increase.

Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for Applied Industrial Technologies in a research report issued to clients and investors on Thursday, September 4th. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $2.43 for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $2.51. The consensus estimate for Applied Industrial Technologies' current full-year earnings is $9.90 per share.

Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, August 14th. The industrial products company reported $2.80 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $2.60 by $0.20. Applied Industrial Technologies had a return on equity of 21.78% and a net margin of 8.61%.The firm had revenue of $1.22 billion for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $1.18 billion. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.64 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 5.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Applied Industrial Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.000-10.75 EPS.

Several other research analysts have also commented on the company. Industrial Alliance Securities set a $290.00 price objective on Applied Industrial Technologies in a research report on Friday, August 22nd. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Applied Industrial Technologies from $265.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Oppenheimer lifted their target price on Applied Industrial Technologies from $290.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Wall Street Zen raised Applied Industrial Technologies from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Saturday, July 26th. Finally, Raymond James Financial lowered Applied Industrial Technologies from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a research report on Friday, August 15th. Six research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $285.00.

Applied Industrial Technologies Stock Down 2.5%

NYSE:AIT traded down $6.65 during mid-day trading on Monday, hitting $263.03. The company had a trading volume of 166,022 shares, compared to its average volume of 221,121. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $263.67 and a 200-day simple moving average of $240.89. The company has a current ratio of 3.32, a quick ratio of 2.36 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31. Applied Industrial Technologies has a 1 year low of $199.96 and a 1 year high of $282.98. The firm has a market capitalization of $9.93 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 25.99, a PEG ratio of 2.85 and a beta of 1.00.

Applied Industrial Technologies Announces Dividend

The company also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, August 29th. Investors of record on Friday, August 15th were paid a $0.46 dividend. This represents a $1.84 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, August 15th. Applied Industrial Technologies's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 18.18%.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, CEO Neil A. Schrimsher sold 26,671 shares of Applied Industrial Technologies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $262.46, for a total value of $7,000,070.66. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 149,735 shares in the company, valued at approximately $39,299,448.10. This trade represents a 15.12% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, VP Jason W. Vasquez sold 7,466 shares of Applied Industrial Technologies stock in a transaction dated Thursday, August 21st. The stock was sold at an average price of $260.08, for a total value of $1,941,757.28. Following the completion of the transaction, the vice president owned 14,491 shares of the company's stock, valued at $3,768,819.28. This trade represents a 34.00% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last three months, insiders sold 42,660 shares of company stock worth $11,217,980. Corporate insiders own 1.67% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Applied Industrial Technologies

Several hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 27.9% in the 1st quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 602,798 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $135,835,000 after purchasing an additional 131,465 shares during the last quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 2.0% in the 2nd quarter. Boston Trust Walden Corp now owns 508,120 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $118,113,000 after purchasing an additional 10,015 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $107,228,000. Alliancebernstein L.P. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 452.6% in the 1st quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 436,565 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $98,376,000 after purchasing an additional 357,568 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Royal London Asset Management Ltd. lifted its holdings in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 69.2% in the 2nd quarter. Royal London Asset Management Ltd. now owns 393,743 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $91,526,000 after purchasing an additional 161,048 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 93.52% of the company's stock.

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.