Riverbridge Partners LLC Boosts Stake in Kadant Inc $KAI

Riverbridge Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Kadant Inc (NYSE:KAI) by 43.4% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm owned 252,230 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after acquiring an additional 76,366 shares during the period. Kadant accounts for about 1.8% of Riverbridge Partners LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 16th largest position. Riverbridge Partners LLC owned about 2.14% of Kadant worth $73,739,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the business. CWM LLC boosted its stake in shares of Kadant by 102.3% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 87 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the period. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its stake in Kadant by 1,300.0% during the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 84 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 78 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Kadant in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Kestra Advisory Services LLC bought a new position in Kadant in the 4th quarter worth approximately $27,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S bought a new position in Kadant in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Kadant Stock Performance

Shares of NYSE:KAI opened at $300.74 on Wednesday. Kadant Inc has a 52 week low of $244.87 and a 52 week high of $369.97. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.55 billion, a P/E ratio of 34.29 and a beta of 1.20. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $313.43 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $312.99. The company has a quick ratio of 1.53, a current ratio of 2.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36.

Kadant (NYSE:KAI) last posted its earnings results on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.11 by $0.73. Kadant had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 12.13%. The firm had revenue of $281.51 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $274.95 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $2.10 EPS. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. Kadant has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.880-2.980 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 12.330-12.680 EPS. On average, analysts expect that Kadant Inc will post 12.42 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kadant Dividend Announcement

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, July 16th will be given a dividend of $0.36 per share. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, July 16th. This represents a $1.44 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. Kadant’s dividend payout ratio is 16.42%.

Kadant declared that its board has approved a stock repurchase program on Thursday, May 21st that permits the company to buyback $50.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization permits the industrial products company to repurchase up to 1.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically a sign that the company’s leadership believes its shares are undervalued.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on the stock. Barrington Research reiterated an “outperform” rating and set a $380.00 price objective on shares of Kadant in a research report on Monday, May 4th. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Kadant from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a report on Thursday, May 14th. Zacks Research downgraded shares of Kadant from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 20th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded Kadant from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, May 9th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $341.50.

Insider Activity at Kadant

In other news, SVP Stacy D. Krause sold 1,227 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $334.17, for a total transaction of $410,026.59. Following the transaction, the senior vice president 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 transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

About Kadant

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.