Thomas Leonard Sells 415 Shares of Kadant (NYSE:KAI) Stock

Key Points

• Director Thomas Leonard of Kadant sold 415 shares of the company's stock at an average price of $338.41, resulting in a transaction value of approximately $140,440.
• Kadant's recent quarterly earnings report showed an EPS of $2.31, exceeding analysts' expectations, with revenue of $255.27 million but down 7.3% year-over-year.
• The company's Board of Directors has authorized a $50 million stock repurchase plan, indicating confidence in the company's valuation as potentially undervalued.

Kadant Inc (NYSE:KAI - Get Free Report) Director Thomas Leonard sold 415 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 27th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at approximately $1,438,242.50. The trade was a 8.90% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link.

Kadant Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:KAI opened at $337.75 on Thursday. 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 12 month low of $281.30 and a 12 month high of $429.95. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.98 billion, a PE ratio of 37.61 and a beta of 1.24. The business has a 50-day moving average of $329.84 and a two-hundred day moving average of $331.33.

Kadant (NYSE:KAI - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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. The company had revenue of $255.27 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $245.99 million. Kadant had a net margin of 10.34% and a return on equity of 12.62%. The firm's revenue was down 7.3% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous 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, research analysts forecast that Kadant Inc will post 9.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Kadant declared that its Board of Directors has authorized a stock repurchase plan on Thursday, May 15th that authorizes the company to buyback $50.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the industrial products company to repurchase up to 1.3% of its stock through open market purchases. Stock buyback plans are typically a sign that the company's board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kadant

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of KAI. Norges Bank acquired a new position in Kadant in the second quarter valued at approximately $40,019,000. Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in shares of Kadant by 249.0% in the 1st quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 160,800 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $54,175,000 after acquiring an additional 114,732 shares during the last quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Kadant by 9.4% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 1,332,583 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $448,961,000 after purchasing an additional 114,310 shares during the last quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC grew its position in Kadant by 97.9% in the first quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 221,209 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $74,528,000 after acquiring an additional 109,439 shares during the period. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC increased its position in shares of Kadant by 150,885.2% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 81,532 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $27,469,000 after purchasing an additional 81,478 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several analysts recently commented on KAI shares. Wall Street Zen raised Kadant from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report 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 boosted their target price on shares of Kadant from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Monday, August 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and one has assigned a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kadant currently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target 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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.