Kadant’s (KAI) Outperform Rating Reiterated at Barrington Research

Barrington Research reissued their outperform rating on shares of Kadant (NYSE:KAI) in a research report report published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. Barrington Research currently has a $380.00 price objective on the industrial products company’s stock.

KAI has been the subject of several other research reports. DA Davidson set a $295.00 price objective on shares of Kadant in a research note on Monday, February 9th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kadant in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Kadant has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $341.50.

Kadant Trading Up 4.0%

KAI opened at $340.16 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 8.97, a quick ratio of 1.60 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.38. The firm has a market cap of $4.01 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 39.32 and a beta of 1.25. Kadant has a 12 month low of $244.87 and a 12 month high of $391.32. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $314.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $304.81.

Kadant (NYSE:KAI) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.19 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $286.20 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $274.43 million. Kadant had a return on equity of 11.57% and a net margin of 9.69%.The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 10.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.25 earnings per share. 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 research analysts anticipate that Kadant will post 9.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity

In other news, Director Erin L. Russell sold 1,435 shares of Kadant stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $282.36, for a total transaction of $405,186.60. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 3,066 shares in the company, valued at approximately $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 SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kadant

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in KAI. CWM LLC grew its stake in Kadant by 102.3% during the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 87 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in Kadant by 1,300.0% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 84 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Kadant during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new stake in Kadant during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Kadant in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines 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 (up ~11% YoY), driven by aftermarket parts and service sales; margins improved. Kadant Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Full‑year EPS guide raised — FY2026 EPS was set at $10.50–$10.75, above the prior consensus (~$10.25), signaling management’s confidence in 2026 margins and cash generation. Kadant Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Results
• Positive Sentiment: Aftermarket parts driving sustainable growth — Management highlighted aftermarket/service parts as a durable revenue driver that helped offset some headwinds. KAI Q4 deep dive: Aftermarket parts drive growth amid tariff headwinds and acquisition integration
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — Barrington Research reiterated an “Outperform” rating, which can bolster investor confidence after the print. Barrington Research Reaffirms “Outperform” Rating for Kadant (NYSE:KAI)
• Neutral Sentiment: Revenue outlook roughly in line — Management issued FY revenue guidance near $1.2B, which is essentially in line with Street expectations (so upside is mainly from EPS/margin drivers). Kadant Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Results
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials and transcript available — Management provided a slide deck and an earnings-call transcript for more detail on segment trends and acquisition integration. Earnings Slide Deck
• Negative Sentiment: Weak Q1 guide — Q1 FY2026 EPS guidance of $1.78–$1.88 came in below the Street (~$2.26), which introduces near‑term earnings risk and explains some caution. Kadant Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Results
• Negative Sentiment: Tariff and integration headwinds — Management noted tariff pressures and costs related to acquisition integration that could weigh on short‑term margins and growth execution. KAI Q4 deep dive: Aftermarket parts drive growth amid tariff headwinds and acquisition integration

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.