Applied Industrial Reports Q1 Earnings and Revenues Exceed Expectations, Show Year-over-Year Growth
Applied Industrial Technologies Earnings: AIT reported Q1 fiscal 2026 earnings of $2.63 per share, exceeding estimates, with net revenues of $1.20 billion, a 9.2% year-over-year increase, driven by acquisitions and organic sales growth.
Segment Performance: The Service Center-Based Distribution segment generated $782.5 million in revenue, up 4.4% year-over-year, while the Engineered Solutions segment saw a 19.4% increase to $417.0 million, although organic sales in this segment declined slightly.
Financial Overview: AIT's gross profit rose to $361.4 million, with a gross margin increase to 30.1%. The company generated $119.3 million in net cash from operating activities, down 6.6% from the previous year, and increased its dividend payout by 22.2%.
Future Outlook: For fiscal 2026, AIT anticipates adjusted earnings between $10.10 and $10.85 per share, with sales expected to grow 4-7% year-over-year, while maintaining a Zacks Rank #4 (Sell).
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- Fed Meeting Outlook: Markets anticipate the Federal Reserve will keep interest rates unchanged at Wednesday's meeting, with the CME Group's FedWatch tool indicating a 97.2% probability of no rate change in January, which could stabilize market sentiment and reduce investor uncertainty.
- Major Index Performance: Following Tuesday's close, futures for major benchmark indices rose, with the Dow Jones up 0.04%, S&P 500 up 0.30%, and Nasdaq 100 up 0.74%, reflecting optimism about upcoming economic data and potential growth.
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- Economic Growth Forecast: LPL Financial's Chief Economist Jeffrey Roach projects a 2.5% real growth for the U.S. economy in 2026, emphasizing that productivity gains will be crucial for economic expansion, providing investors with confidence in future market conditions.
- Microsoft Earnings Expectations: Wall Street anticipates Microsoft Corp. (NASDAQ:MSFT) will report earnings of $3.97 per share and revenue of $80.27 billion after the market closes, with shares rising 0.4% to $482.50 in after-hours trading, reflecting investor optimism about its performance.
- Packaging Corp's Weak Results: Packaging Corp of America (NYSE:PKG) reported fourth-quarter results that fell short of expectations, projecting first-quarter GAAP EPS of $2.20, below the market estimate of $2.26, leading to a 2.1% drop in shares to $218.99 in after-hours trading, indicating investor concerns about its future outlook.
- Tesla Earnings Outlook: Analysts expect Tesla Inc. (NASDAQ:TSLA) to post earnings of 45 cents per share on revenue of $24.78 billion after the market closes, with shares increasing 0.4% to $432.49 in after-hours trading, demonstrating market confidence in its ongoing growth.
- Starbucks Earnings Forecast: Starbucks Corp. (NASDAQ:SBUX) is projected to report earnings of 59 cents per share and revenue of $9.73 billion, with shares slipping 0.1% to $95.70 in after-hours trading, yet the market remains cautiously optimistic about its performance.
- Earnings Miss: Packaging Corporation's Q4 2025 Non-GAAP EPS of $2.32 fell short by $0.09, indicating pressure on profitability that could undermine investor confidence.
- Revenue Growth Weakness: Despite a 9.8% year-over-year revenue increase to $2.36 billion, the figure missed expectations by $80 million, reflecting soft market demand and intensified competition.
- Annual Performance Overview: The full-year net income for 2025 was $774 million, or $8.58 per share, while excluding special items, net income was $888 million, or $9.84 per share, highlighting earnings volatility influenced by special items.
- Stock Price Reaction: Following the earnings report, shares fell 1.62% in after-hours trading, indicating a negative market reaction to the results and prompting investors to reassess the company's future growth potential.
- Financial Performance: In Q4 2025, Packaging Corporation reported a net income of $102 million, or $1.13 per share, despite a $1.32 decline from Q4 2024, indicating resilience in profitability amidst challenges.
- Sales Growth: The company achieved net sales of $2.4 billion in Q4 2025, a 14.3% increase from $2.1 billion in Q4 2024, reflecting sustained demand and market share growth in the packaging sector.
- Impact of Special Items: Excluding special items, diluted EPS was $2.32, down $0.15 year-over-year, primarily due to lower production and sales volumes along with rising operating costs, highlighting the cost pressures faced by the company.
- Future Outlook: The company anticipates Q1 2026 earnings of $2.20 per share, facing seasonal slowdowns and rising costs, yet remains optimistic about increased daily production and price improvements in its packaging operations.








