Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT) Receives Consensus Rating of “Moderate Buy” from Analysts

Shares of Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT) have been assigned a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” from the seven ratings firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat reports. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold recommendation and six have issued a buy recommendation on the company. The average 1-year price target among analysts that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $294.3750.

AIT has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. KeyCorp lifted their price objective on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Wall Street Zen cut shares of Applied Industrial Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a research report on Monday, December 29th.

Applied Industrial Technologies Stock Down 0.9%

AIT stock opened at $267.04 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.31, a current ratio of 3.68 and a quick ratio of 2.56. The stock has a market capitalization of $9.96 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.41, a P/E/G ratio of 2.58 and a beta of 0.82. The business has a 50-day moving average of $271.98 and a 200-day moving average of $263.85. Applied Industrial Technologies has a fifty-two week low of $199.96 and a fifty-two week high of $296.70.

Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, January 27th. The industrial products company reported $2.51 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.48 by $0.03. The business had revenue of $1.16 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.17 billion. Applied Industrial Technologies had a return on equity of 21.74% and a net margin of 8.49%.Applied Industrial Technologies’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $2.39 EPS. Applied Industrial Technologies has set its FY 2026 guidance at 10.450-10.750 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Applied Industrial Technologies will post 9.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Industrial Technologies Increases Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 27th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 13th were issued a $0.51 dividend. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.8%. The ex-dividend date was Friday, February 13th. This is a positive change from Applied Industrial Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.46. Applied Industrial Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is 19.41%.

Insider Activity at Applied Industrial Technologies

In other Applied Industrial Technologies news, CEO Neil A. Schrimsher sold 19,207 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $285.85, for a total value of $5,490,320.95. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief executive officer directly owned 130,528 shares in the company, valued at $37,311,428.80. This trade represents a 12.83% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, VP Jason W. Vasquez sold 5,447 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $287.87, for a total value of $1,568,027.89. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 14,491 shares in the company, valued at $4,171,524.17. This trade represents a 27.32% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 28,654 shares of company stock valued at $8,212,829. 1.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Industrial Technologies

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in Applied Industrial Technologies during the fourth quarter worth $25,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in Applied Industrial Technologies by 890.0% in the third quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 99 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $26,000 after acquiring an additional 89 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Anchor Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies during the 4th quarter worth about $32,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.52% of the company’s stock.

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.