Insider Selling: Kadant (NYSE:KAI) SVP Sells $410,026.59 in Stock

Kadant Inc (NYSE:KAI) SVP Stacy Krause sold 1,227 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $334.17, for a total transaction of $410,026.59. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 1,363 shares in the company, valued at $455,473.71. This represents a 47.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link.

Kadant Price Performance

Shares of Kadant stock opened at $319.96 on Friday. 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 stock has a market capitalization of $3.78 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 36.48 and a beta of 1.19. Kadant Inc has a 1-year low of $244.87 and a 1-year high of $369.97. The firm’s 50-day moving average price is $314.25 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $308.94.

Kadant (NYSE:KAI) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, May 5th. The industrial products company reported $2.84 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate 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 analysts’ expectations of $274.95 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.10 earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 17.9% compared to the same quarter last year. 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, equities analysts predict that Kadant Inc will post 12.5 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Kadant announced that its board has approved a stock buyback plan on Thursday, May 21st that authorizes the company to buyback $50.00 million in outstanding shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the industrial products company to repurchase up to 1.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback plans are usually a sign that the company’s board of directors believes its shares are undervalued.

Kadant Dividend Announcement

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

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on KAI shares. DA Davidson set a $303.00 price target on shares of Kadant in a research note on Friday, February 20th. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Kadant from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c+)” rating in a research note on Thursday, May 14th. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Kadant from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, May 9th. Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and set a $380.00 price target on shares of Kadant in a research note on Monday, May 4th. Finally, Zacks Research cut shares of Kadant from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Wednesday, May 20th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $341.50.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kadant

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in Kadant by 1,300.0% in the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 84 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 78 shares during the period. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Kadant in the second quarter valued at approximately $27,000. CWM LLC lifted its holdings in Kadant by 102.3% in the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 87 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 44 shares during the period. Kestra Advisory Services LLC acquired a new position in Kadant in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S acquired a new position in Kadant in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.