** Shares of Applied Industrial Technologies Inc AIT.N fall 8.68% to $257.09
** Co reports Q2 sales of $1.16 billion, just short of analysts' avg. estimate of $1.17 billion - LSEG-compiled data
** AIT narrows FY2026 EPS forecast to range of $10.45 to $10.75 vs prior forecast of $10.10 to $10.85, following H1 FY2026 performance
** FY2026 forecast now assumes annual last-in first-out (LIFO) expense in range of $24 million to $26 million vs prior forecast range of $14 million to $18 million
** 7 of 9 brokerages rate stock "buy" or higher, 2 "hold"; their median PT is $300 - LSEG-compiled data
** Stock rose 7.22% in 2025
(Reporting by Megha Anilkumar Nair)
((MeghaAnilkumar.Nair@thomsonreuters.com;))