Zacks Research Analysts Increase Earnings Estimates for AIT

Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research lifted their Q1 2026 earnings per share (EPS) estimates for shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a report released on Monday, March 10th. Zacks Research analyst S. Roy now forecasts that the industrial products company will earn $2.47 per share for the quarter, up from their previous forecast of $2.46. 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’ Q2 2026 earnings at $2.58 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $2.76 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.86 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $10.67 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $2.70 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.73 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $11.49 EPS.

Other equities analysts have also recently issued research reports about the company. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on Applied Industrial Technologies from $260.00 to $305.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. KeyCorp upped their price target on Applied Industrial Technologies from $275.00 to $325.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, December 3rd. StockNews.com cut Applied Industrial Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Thursday, January 23rd. Bank of America upgraded Applied Industrial Technologies from a “neutral” rating to a “buy” rating and increased their target price for the company from $285.00 to $315.00 in a report on Tuesday, November 26th. Finally, Raymond James reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $265.00 target price (up previously from $250.00) on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a report on Thursday, January 30th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and seven have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Applied Industrial Technologies has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $291.43.

Applied Industrial Technologies Stock Performance

NYSE AIT opened at $226.84 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 3.76, a quick ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.32. The business’s 50 day moving average is $252.10 and its two-hundred day moving average is $243.03. Applied Industrial Technologies has a 12-month low of $177.68 and a 12-month high of $282.98. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.71 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.98, a PEG ratio of 3.14 and a beta of 1.08.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Applied Industrial Technologies

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in AIT. Larson Financial Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 5,900.0% in the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 120 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $29,000 after acquiring an additional 118 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $30,000. First Horizon Advisors Inc. grew its holdings in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 106.0% in the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 171 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $38,000 after buying an additional 88 shares during the period. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. bought a new stake in Applied Industrial Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $44,000. Finally, Huntington National Bank lifted its position in Applied Industrial Technologies by 33.8% during the 4th quarter. Huntington National Bank now owns 186 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $45,000 after buying an additional 47 shares in the last quarter. 93.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Applied Industrial Technologies Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, February 28th. Stockholders of record on Friday, February 14th were given a $0.46 dividend. This is an increase from Applied Industrial Technologies’s previous quarterly dividend of $0.37. This represents a $1.84 annualized dividend and a dividend yield of 0.81%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was 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.