Kadant (NYSE:KAI) Announces Earnings Results

Kadant (NYSE:KAI) issued its earnings results on Wednesday. The industrial products company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.08, FiscalAI reports. Kadant had a return on equity of 11.77% and a net margin of 9.69%.The firm had revenue of $286.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $274.43 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $2.25 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. Kadant updated its Q1 2026 guidance to 1.780-1.880 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance to 10.500-10.750 EPS.

Kadant Trading Up 2.1%

Kadant stock opened at $327.07 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a current ratio of 2.45. Kadant has a fifty-two week low of $244.87 and a fifty-two week high of $395.07. The stock has a market cap of $3.85 billion, a P/E ratio of 37.81 and a beta of 1.25. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $313.11 and its 200-day moving average price is $304.69.

Key Kadant News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kadant this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat consensus — EPS $2.27 vs $2.19 expected and revenue $286.2M (+10.9% YoY), with margin improvement, supporting upside. Zacks: Kadant Surpasses Q4 Estimates
• Positive Sentiment: Kadant raised FY 2026 EPS guidance to $10.50–$10.75, above the prior consensus (~$10.25), implying stronger full-year profit expectations. GlobeNewswire: Kadant Reports Q4 & FY Results
• Positive Sentiment: Company reported record Q4 revenue and improved margins, a narrative that supports a re-rating toward higher valuation multiples. TipRanks: Kadant Posts Record Q4 Revenue
• Neutral Sentiment: Conference call transcript and press release are available for details on segment performance, working capital and backlog commentary — useful for investors digging into drivers. Seeking Alpha: Q4 2025 Earnings Call Transcript
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst coverage remains constructive — Barrington reaffirmed an outperform with a $380 price target, indicating further upside from current levels. Benzinga: Barrington Research Coverage
• Negative Sentiment: Q1 FY2026 EPS guidance was lowered to $1.78–$1.88 vs. consensus ~$2.26, creating near-term earnings risk and tempering the beat/raise message. GlobeNewswire: Q1 Guidance Detail

Analysts Set New Price Targets

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Erin L. Russell sold 1,435 shares of the business’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 directly owned 3,066 shares in the company, valued at $865,715.76. The trade was a 31.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Kadant by 11.2% in the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,763 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $931,000 after purchasing an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC increased its holdings in shares of Kadant by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 907 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $306,000 after buying an additional 72 shares during the last quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. raised its position in shares of Kadant by 4.7% during the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 6,985 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,353,000 after buying an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association bought a new stake in shares of Kadant during the 1st quarter worth $255,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Kadant by 1.4% during the 1st quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 30,974 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,435,000 after acquiring an additional 441 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Kadant Company Profile

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.