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 stake in shares of Kadant Inc (NYSE:KAI - Free Report) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor acquired 18,938 shares of the industrial products company's stock, valued at approximately $6,390,000. Amundi owned about 0.16% of Kadant as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other large investors have also modified their holdings of the company. Opal Wealth Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Kadant in the 1st quarter worth $30,000. Optimum Investment Advisors boosted its position in shares of Kadant by 50.0% in the 1st quarter. Optimum Investment Advisors now owns 150 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $51,000 after purchasing an additional 50 shares during the period. SVB Wealth LLC purchased a new position in Kadant in the 1st quarter worth about $54,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 188 shares during the period. Finally, Russell Investments Group Ltd. raised its holdings in 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 buying an additional 226 shares during the period. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kadant Stock Down 1.6%

KAI traded down $5.17 during trading on Tuesday, reaching $309.13. 123,569 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 99,745. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $330.79 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $325.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 2.38 and a quick ratio of 1.53. 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 $3.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.42 and a beta of 1.25.

Kadant (NYSE:KAI - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, July 29th. The industrial products company reported $2.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.37. The company had revenue of $255.27 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $245.99 million. Kadant had a return on equity of 12.62% and a net margin of 10.34%.The business's revenue was down 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.81 EPS. 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, equities research analysts expect that Kadant Inc will post 9.97 EPS for the current year.

Kadant Announces Dividend

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 paid a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 9th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.4%. Kadant's payout ratio is 15.14%.

Insider Transactions at Kadant

In other Kadant news, Director Thomas C. Leonard sold 415 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 27th. The shares were sold at an average price of $338.41, for a total value of $140,440.15. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 4,250 shares of the company's stock, valued at $1,438,242.50. The trade was a 8.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. 1.20% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

KAI has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Kadant from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, July 5th. Barrington Research reaffirmed an "outperform" rating and issued a $380.00 price objective on shares of Kadant in a research note on Tuesday, July 29th. Finally, DA Davidson lifted their price objective on shares of Kadant from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Monday, August 4th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has given a Hold rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $340.00.

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.