Kadant (NYSE:KAI) Issues Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

Kadant (NYSE:KAI) issued an update on its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 1.780-1.880 for the period, compared to the consensus earnings per share estimate of 2.260. The company issued revenue guidance of $270.0 million-$280.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $272.5 million. Kadant also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 10.500-10.750 EPS.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

KAI has been the topic of a number of research reports. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kadant in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $380.00 target price on shares of Kadant in a report on Wednesday. Finally, DA Davidson set a $295.00 price target on Kadant in a research note on Monday, February 9th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $337.50.

Kadant Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:KAI traded down $12.96 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $320.55. 176,607 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 128,347. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $311.87 and its 200 day simple moving average is $304.42. The company has a market cap of $3.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.06 and a beta of 1.25. Kadant has a 52-week low of $244.87 and a 52-week high of $398.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 2.45 and a quick ratio of 1.60.

Kadant (NYSE:KAI) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $2.27 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.08. The business had revenue of $286.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $274.43 million. Kadant had a return on equity of 11.97% and a net margin of 9.96%.Kadant has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.780-1.880 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.750 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Kadant will post 9.97 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Kadant

In other news, Director Erin L. Russell sold 1,435 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $282.36, for a total transaction of $405,186.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 3,066 shares in the company, valued at $865,715.76. This trade represents a 31.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Key Stories Impacting Kadant

Here are the key news stories impacting Kadant this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 beat — Kadant reported EPS of $2.27 vs. consensus $2.19 and revenue of $286.2M vs. ~$274.4M expected, with improved margins and healthy ROE. These results point to underlying demand strength and margin recovery. Kadant Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Record revenue and margin improvement highlighted by the company/coverage — commentary and summaries emphasize an 11% y/y revenue gain and margin progress, reinforcing the quality of the quarter. Kadant Posts Record Q4 Revenue and Improves Margins
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating with a $380 price target, signaling continued analyst conviction about upside from current levels. Benzinga Analyst Note
• Neutral Sentiment: Multiple outlets summarized the quarter and company release; investors can review the full press release and coverage for segment-level detail and any forward-looking commentary. Kadant’s (NYSE:KAI) Q4 CY2025: Strong Sales
• Negative Sentiment: Shares declined today despite the beat — likely drivers include profit-taking after recent strength, elevated valuation (PE ~37), and investors awaiting management’s FY26 outlook or other forward guidance details. Higher trading volume suggests some repositioning even though the quarter was solid. (Market data and intraday movement referenced from market summaries.)

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kadant

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its holdings in Kadant by 1,300.0% during the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 84 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new position in shares of Kadant during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Kestra Investment Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Kadant during the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Allworth Financial LP raised its holdings in shares of Kadant by 89.1% in the third quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 104 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 49 shares during the period. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kadant by 278.0% during the 2nd quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 189 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $59,000 after acquiring an additional 139 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

About Kadant

Kadant Inc, headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts, is a global supplier of high?value, critical components and engineered systems for the pulp and paper industry and other process industries. The company’s product portfolio spans stock preparation technologies, refiners and pulpers, fluid handling systems, and web?handling equipment designed to optimize the efficiency and quality of paper production. In addition to capital equipment, Kadant offers aftermarket services, including spare parts, maintenance programs and process optimization consulting, which together support long?term customer productivity and reliability.

Originally part of a larger industrial conglomerate, Kadant was established as an independent public company in 1991.