William Blair Investment Management LLC Has $35.44 Million Stake in Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. $AIT

William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT) by 19.4% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 138,003 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 22,446 shares during the period. William Blair Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Applied Industrial Technologies were worth $35,435,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in AIT. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at about $25,000. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 890.0% during the 3rd 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 acquired a new position in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $27,000. Abich Financial Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies during the 3rd quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, V Square Quantitative Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies during the 4th quarter valued at about $34,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 93.52% of the company’s stock.

Key Applied Industrial Technologies News

Here are the key news stories impacting Applied Industrial Technologies this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks Research raised its FY2026 EPS estimate to $10.68 from $10.58, suggesting stronger expected earnings this year. Applied Industrial Technologies stock page
• Positive Sentiment: The firm also increased FY2027 EPS to $11.60 from $11.48 and FY2028 EPS to $12.67 from $12.62, reinforcing a bullish longer-term earnings trend. Applied Industrial Technologies stock page
• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly estimates for Q1 2027, Q3 2027, and Q3 2028 were all nudged higher, which may support investor confidence in AIT’s operating momentum. Applied Industrial Technologies stock page
• Neutral Sentiment: One outlier was a cut to the Q2 2028 EPS estimate to $2.87 from $3.00, but this was offset by increases in several other periods. Applied Industrial Technologies stock page
• Neutral Sentiment: Most of the revisions are small, so the stock’s move likely reflects modest analyst optimism rather than a major new catalyst. Applied Industrial Technologies stock page

Applied Industrial Technologies Stock Performance

AIT opened at $307.39 on Monday. The firm has a market capitalization of $11.36 billion, a P/E ratio of 29.03, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.93 and a beta of 0.86. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $285.68 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $273.67. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 2.95 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.19. Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $218.48 and a 12-month high of $317.10.

Applied Industrial Technologies (NYSE:AIT) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.63 by $0.02. The firm had revenue of $1.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. Applied Industrial Technologies had a return on equity of 21.64% and a net margin of 8.34%.The company’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.57 EPS. Applied Industrial Technologies has set its Q4 2026 guidance at 2.850-2.960 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 10.640-10.750 EPS. On average, equities analysts forecast that Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. will post 10.7 earnings per share for the current year.

Applied Industrial Technologies Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Friday, May 29th. Shareholders of record on Friday, May 15th will be issued a $0.51 dividend. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.04 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.7%. Applied Industrial Technologies’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 19.26%.

Insider Transactions at Applied Industrial Technologies

In other Applied Industrial Technologies news, VP Warren E. Hoffner III sold 8,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, May 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $306.04, for a total value of $2,448,320.00. Following the sale, the vice president owned 40,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,471,436.04. This trade represents a 16.41% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 1.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts have recently commented on the company. KeyCorp increased their price objective on Applied Industrial Technologies from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Thursday, February 26th. Robert W. Baird set a $317.00 price objective on Applied Industrial Technologies in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered Applied Industrial Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, May 2nd. Oppenheimer raised their target price on Applied Industrial Technologies from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Wednesday, April 29th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a report on Friday, April 24th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $313.67.

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.