Kadant (NYSE:KAI) Releases FY 2026 Earnings Guidance

Kadant (NYSE:KAI) issued an update on its FY 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday morning. The company provided earnings per share (EPS) guidance of 10.500-10.750 for the period, compared to the consensus estimate of 10.250. The company issued revenue guidance of $1.2 billion-$1.2 billion, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $1.2 billion. Kadant also updated its Q1 2026 guidance to 1.780-1.880 EPS.

Kadant Stock Performance

Kadant stock traded down $12.96 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $320.55. The stock had a trading volume of 176,607 shares, compared to its average volume of 128,347. The company has a 50-day moving average of $311.87 and a two-hundred day moving average of $304.42. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26. Kadant has a fifty-two week low of $244.87 and a fifty-two week high of $398.69. The company has a market cap of $3.78 billion, a PE ratio of 37.06 and a beta of 1.25.

Kadant (NYSE:KAI) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.08. Kadant had a return on equity of 11.97% and a net margin of 9.96%.The business had revenue of $286.20 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $274.43 million. Kadant has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.780-1.880 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.750 EPS. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Kadant will post 9.97 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of analysts recently weighed in on the stock. DA Davidson set a $295.00 target price 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 report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $380.00 target price on shares of Kadant in a report on Wednesday. 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 data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $337.50.

Insider Transactions at Kadant

In other Kadant news, Director Erin L. Russell sold 1,435 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $282.36, for a total transaction of $405,186.60. Following the sale, the director owned 3,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $865,715.76. This represents a 31.88% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

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 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 Trading of Kadant

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its stake in shares of Kadant by 26.2% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 1,079 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $308,000 after acquiring an additional 224 shares during the last quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Kadant by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,995 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $854,000 after purchasing an additional 44 shares during the period. NewEdge Advisors LLC increased its stake in Kadant by 4.7% in the fourth quarter. NewEdge Advisors LLC now owns 2,140 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $610,000 after purchasing an additional 97 shares in the last quarter. Numerai GP LLC raised its holdings in Kadant by 159.6% in the fourth quarter. Numerai GP LLC now owns 18,332 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $5,225,000 after purchasing an additional 11,270 shares during the period. Finally, Millennium Management LLC raised its holdings in Kadant by 692.0% in the fourth quarter. Millennium Management LLC now owns 22,454 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $6,400,000 after purchasing an additional 19,619 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

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.