GW&K Investment Management LLC Purchases 5,327 Shares of Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. $AIT

GW&K Investment Management LLC grew its position in Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. (NYSE:AIT) by 2.5% during the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund owned 216,509 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after purchasing an additional 5,327 shares during the quarter. GW&K Investment Management LLC owned approximately 0.58% of Applied Industrial Technologies worth $55,594,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

A number of other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of AIT. Capital International Investors bought a new stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in the 3rd quarter valued at $200,456,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in the 4th quarter valued at $125,044,000. M&T Bank Corp boosted its stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 33,181.4% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 300,864 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $81,322,000 after purchasing an additional 299,960 shares during the last quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans boosted its stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 1,628.7% in the 4th quarter. Thrivent Financial for Lutherans now owns 196,946 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $50,570,000 after purchasing an additional 185,553 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Trust Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Applied Industrial Technologies by 22.7% in the 3rd quarter. First Trust Advisors LP now owns 933,067 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $243,577,000 after purchasing an additional 172,857 shares during the last quarter. 93.52% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Applied Industrial Technologies Stock Up 2.7%

Shares of NYSE AIT opened at $322.91 on Wednesday. The firm has a market cap of $11.93 billion, a PE ratio of 30.49, a P/E/G ratio of 3.00 and a beta of 0.84. Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. has a 12-month low of $223.13 and a 12-month high of $324.34. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $298.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $278.62. 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 (NYSE:AIT) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, April 28th. The industrial products company reported $2.65 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.63 by $0.02. The business had revenue of $1.25 billion for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.23 billion. Applied Industrial Technologies had a net margin of 8.34% and a return on equity of 21.64%. Applied Industrial Technologies’s revenue was up 7.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.57 earnings per share. 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. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Applied Industrial Technologies, Inc. will post 10.7 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Applied Industrial Technologies Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Friday, May 29th. Investors of record on Friday, May 15th were paid a dividend of $0.51 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend was Friday, May 15th. This represents a $2.04 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.6%. Applied Industrial Technologies’s dividend payout ratio is currently 19.26%.

Insider Transactions at Applied Industrial Technologies

In related news, VP Warren E. Hoffner III sold 8,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Tuesday, May 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $306.04, for a total transaction of $2,448,320.00. Following the transaction, the vice president directly owned 40,751 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,471,436.04. This represents a 16.41% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. 1.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

AIT has been the topic of a number of analyst reports. Robert W. Baird set a $317.00 price objective on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Applied Industrial Technologies from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 2nd. Oppenheimer upped their price objective on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies from $300.00 to $350.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Wednesday, April 29th. KeyCorp increased their target price on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies from $300.00 to $330.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings reissued a “buy (b)” rating on shares of Applied Industrial Technologies in a research note on Friday, April 24th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $313.67.

Applied Industrial Technologies Company Profile

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.