Kadant (NYSE:KAI) Issues Q3 2026 Earnings Guidance

Kadant (NYSE:KAI) updated its third quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Tuesday morning. The company provided earnings per share guidance of 2.900-3.000 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 3.290. The company issued revenue guidance of $297.0 million-$307.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $311.8 million. Kadant also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 12.430-12.680 EPS.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

KAI has been the topic of a number of recent research reports. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Kadant from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research cut shares of Kadant from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $380.00 price target on shares of Kadant in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Kadant from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Kadant has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $341.50.

Kadant Trading Up 3.1%

NYSE KAI traded up $10.11 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $334.67. 121,653 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 156,276. Kadant has a fifty-two week low of $244.87 and a fifty-two week high of $357.65. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 2.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The firm has a market cap of $3.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 38.16 and a beta of 1.20. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $306.50 and its 200 day moving average price is $315.86.

Kadant (NYSE:KAI) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $3.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.94 by $0.48. The company had revenue of $312.88 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $299.17 million. Kadant had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 12.13%. Kadant has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.430-12.680 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.900-3.000 EPS. Analysts predict that Kadant will post 12.42 EPS for the current year.

Kadant Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Investors of record on Thursday, July 16th will be paid a dividend of $0.36 per share. This represents a $1.44 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, July 16th. Kadant’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is presently 16.42%.

Kadant declared that its board has authorized a stock buyback program on Thursday, May 21st that allows the company to buyback $50.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization allows the industrial products company to purchase up to 1.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s management believes its stock is undervalued.

Insider Transactions at Kadant

In other Kadant news, SVP Stacy D. Krause sold 1,227 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $334.17, for a total value of $410,026.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,363 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $455,473.71. The trade was a 47.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kadant

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC grew its position in shares of Kadant by 14.4% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 254 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $75,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the last quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. increased its stake in shares of Kadant by 9.4% in the fourth quarter. Pacer Advisors Inc. now owns 374 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $107,000 after buying an additional 32 shares during the period. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System raised its position in shares of Kadant by 2.3% during the fourth quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 1,732 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $494,000 after acquiring an additional 39 shares during the last quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kadant by 1.5% in the fourth quarter. SkyView Investment Advisors LLC now owns 2,995 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $854,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Finally, Allworth Financial LP lifted its stake 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 acquiring an additional 49 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.