Amundi Purchases 14,760 Shares of Kadant Inc $KAI

Key Points

• Amundi increased its Kadant stake by 29.3% in the first quarter, purchasing 14,760 shares to hold 65,137 shares worth approximately $19.0 million. Institutional investors collectively own 96.13% of the company.
• Kadant exceeded quarterly expectations with EPS of $3.42 versus the $2.94 consensus and revenue of $312.9 million versus $299.2 million expected; revenue rose 22.6% year over year. The company provided full-year 2026 EPS guidance of $12.43–$12.68.
• The company announced a $50 million share-repurchase authorization and a quarterly dividend of $0.36 per share. Analysts maintain a consensus “Hold” rating with a $341.50 target price, while shares recently traded at $334.67.

Amundi boosted its position in Kadant Inc (NYSE:KAI - Free Report) by 29.3% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 65,137 shares of the industrial products company's stock after buying an additional 14,760 shares during the period. Amundi owned approximately 0.55% of Kadant worth $19,036,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of KAI. CWM LLC raised its position in shares of Kadant by 102.3% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 87 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in Kadant by 1,300.0% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 84 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in Kadant during the second quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in Kadant in the fourth quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in Kadant in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Kadant Trading Up 3.1%

NYSE KAI opened at $334.67 on Wednesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.47, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The business has a fifty day simple moving average of $306.59 and a 200 day simple moving average of $315.99. Kadant Inc has a 12 month low of $244.87 and a 12 month high of $357.65. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.95 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.16 and a beta of 1.20.

Kadant (NYSE:KAI - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Tuesday, August 4th. The industrial products company reported $3.42 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.94 by $0.48. Kadant had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 12.13%. The business had revenue of $312.88 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $299.17 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned $2.31 earnings per share. The firm's revenue for the quarter was up 22.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Kadant has set its FY 2026 guidance at 12.430-12.680 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at 2.900-3.000 EPS. On average, analysts predict that Kadant Inc will post 12.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kadant Dividend Announcement

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

Kadant declared that its board has authorized a share buyback plan on Thursday, May 21st that authorizes the company to repurchase $50.00 million in outstanding shares. This repurchase authorization authorizes the industrial products company to repurchase up to 1.4% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock repurchase plans are usually an indication that the company's leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

KAI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Kadant from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Wednesday, May 20th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kadant from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Kadant from a "hold (c+)" rating to a "hold (c)" rating in a research note on Monday. Finally, Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $380.00 price objective on shares of Kadant in a report on Monday, May 4th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $341.50.

Insider Activity at Kadant

In related news, SVP Stacy D. Krause sold 1,227 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $334.17, for a total value of $410,026.59. Following 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 position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 1.30% of the stock is owned by insiders.

More Kadant News

Here are the key news stories impacting Kadant this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Quarterly earnings and revenue beat expectations. Kadant reported adjusted EPS of $3.42, ahead of the $2.94 consensus estimate, while revenue reached approximately $312.9 million versus expectations of $299.2 million. Revenue rose 23% year over year, and adjusted EPS increased from $2.31 in the prior-year quarter. Kadant Q2 earnings report
• Positive Sentiment: Management raised its 2026 outlook. Full-year adjusted EPS guidance was set at $12.43-$12.68, above the $11.55 analyst consensus. The company also raised its revenue outlook to approximately $1.19 billion-$1.21 billion. Kadant raises 2026 guidance
• Positive Sentiment: Operating trends remained healthy. Bookings increased 16% to $312.1 million, backlog stood at $340 million, and operating cash flow rose 32% to $53.5 million. Adjusted EBITDA reached $68.1 million, or 21.8% of revenue, supporting the company’s improved outlook.
• Neutral Sentiment: Third-quarter guidance was below analyst expectations. Kadant forecast revenue of $297 million-$307 million and adjusted EPS of $2.90-$3.00, below consensus estimates of $311.8 million and $3.29, respectively. This may reflect timing or near-term project mix rather than a deterioration in full-year demand.
• Negative Sentiment: Profit margins declined. Gross margin fell to 43.8% from 45.9% a year earlier, indicating cost or product-mix pressure despite strong revenue growth.
• Neutral Sentiment: Insider trading was a modest cautionary signal. Two insiders sold shares during the past six months, with no reported insider purchases. Institutional positioning was mixed, with investors both adding to and reducing their holdings.

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.

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