Zacks Research Issues Positive Outlook for AIT Earnings

Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT) – Analysts at Zacks Research increased their Q2 2026 earnings per share estimates for Applied Industrial Technologies in a research report issued to clients and investors on Wednesday, February 19th. Zacks Research analyst S. Roy now expects that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $2.56 for the quarter, up from their previous estimate of $2.54. The consensus estimate for Applied Industrial Technologies’ current full-year earnings is $9.90 per share.

Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, January 29th. The industrial products company reported $2.39 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.21 by $0.18. Applied Industrial Technologies had a return on equity of 22.37% and a net margin of 8.62%.

A number of other brokerages have also recently weighed in on AIT. Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $265.00 price target (up previously from $250.00) on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a research note on Thursday, January 30th. StockNews.com lowered Applied Industrial Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Oppenheimer boosted their price target on Applied Industrial Technologies from $260.00 to $305.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on Applied Industrial Technologies from $250.00 to $275.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, January 30th. Finally, KeyCorp boosted their target price on Applied Industrial Technologies from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Applied Industrial Technologies currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $291.43.

Applied Industrial Technologies Stock Performance

Shares of AIT opened at $247.72 on Monday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $253.49 and its 200-day simple moving average is $240.19. The firm has a market cap of $9.51 billion, a PE ratio of 25.10, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 1.08. Applied Industrial Technologies has a 12-month low of $177.68 and a 12-month high of $282.98. The company has a current ratio of 3.76, a quick ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32.

Institutional Trading of Applied Industrial Technologies

Institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Creative Planning boosted its position in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 27.2% during the 3rd quarter. Creative Planning now owns 11,239 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $2,508,000 after purchasing an additional 2,400 shares in the last quarter. Raymond James & Associates lifted its stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 19.4% in the third quarter. Raymond James & Associates now owns 14,612 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,260,000 after purchasing an additional 2,371 shares during the period. Ballentine Partners LLC boosted its holdings in Applied Industrial Technologies by 7.1% during the third quarter. Ballentine Partners LLC now owns 1,111 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $248,000 after buying an additional 74 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in Applied Industrial Technologies in the third quarter valued at about $217,000. Finally, GHP Investment Advisors Inc. increased its holdings in Applied Industrial Technologies by 3.9% in the third quarter. GHP Investment Advisors Inc. now owns 1,143 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $255,000 after buying an additional 43 shares in the last quarter. 93.52% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Applied Industrial Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th will be issued a $0.46 dividend. This is a boost from Applied Industrial Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.74%. The ex-dividend date is Friday, February 14th. Applied Industrial Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is currently 18.64%.

About Applied Industrial Technologies

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.