Amundi Invests $6.39 Million in Kadant Inc $KAI

Key Points

• Amundi's New Stake: Amundi purchased a new stake in Kadant Inc, acquiring 18,938 shares valued at approximately $6,390,000, representing a 0.16% ownership at the latest reporting period.
• Insider Selling: Director Thomas C. Leonard sold 415 shares of Kadant, reducing his position by 8.90% and bringing his total holdings to 4,250 shares, valued at around $1.44 million.
• Strong Analyst Ratings: Kadant has received a mix of ratings from analysts, with Barrington Research maintaining an "outperform" rating and a price target of $380, while the consensus target price is set at $340.

Amundi acquired a new position in shares of Kadant Inc (NYSE:KAI - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 18,938 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $6,390,000. Amundi owned about 0.16% of Kadant at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of KAI. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kadant during the 1st quarter worth about $30,000. Optimum Investment Advisors increased its stake in shares of Kadant by 50.0% during the 1st quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 150 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $51,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the last quarter. SVB Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kadant during the 1st quarter worth about $54,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Kadant by 348.1% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 242 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $82,000 after purchasing an additional 188 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in shares of Kadant by 982.6% during the 1st quarter. Russell Investments Group Ltd. now owns 249 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $84,000 after purchasing an additional 226 shares during the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Activity

In other Kadant news, Director Thomas C. Leonard sold 415 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $338.41, for a total transaction of $140,440.15. Following the transaction, the director owned 4,250 shares in the company, valued at $1,438,242.50. This represents a 8.90% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.40% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kadant from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday, July 5th. Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and issued a $380.00 price target on shares of Kadant in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Kadant from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $340.00.

Kadant Stock Performance

KAI traded down $9.27 on Friday, reaching $313.33. The company had a trading volume of 71,615 shares, compared to its average volume of 100,554. The company's fifty day moving average is $331.24 and its 200 day moving average is $326.66. Kadant Inc has a fifty-two week low of $281.30 and a fifty-two week high of $429.95. The stock has a market cap of $3.69 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.89 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 2.38.

Kadant (NYSE:KAI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The industrial products company reported $2.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $1.94 by $0.37. Kadant had a net margin of 10.34% and a return on equity of 12.62%. The firm had revenue of $255.27 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $245.99 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.81 EPS. The business's revenue was down 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Kadant has set its Q3 2025 guidance at 2.130-2.230 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 9.050-9.250 EPS. As a group, analysts predict that Kadant Inc will post 9.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kadant Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 9th will be given a dividend of $0.34 per share. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 9th. Kadant's dividend payout ratio is presently 15.14%.

Kadant Company Profile

Kadant Inc supplies technologies and engineered systems worldwide. It operates in three segments: Flow Control, Industrial Processing, and Material Handling. The Flow Control segment develops, manufactures, and markets fluid-handling systems and equipment, such as rotary joints, syphons, turbulator bars, expansion joints, and engineered steam and condensate systems; and doctoring, cleaning, and filtration systems and related consumables consisting of doctor systems and holders, doctor blades, cleaning shower and fabric-conditioning systems, forming systems and wear surfaces, and water-filtration systems.