William Blair Issues Pessimistic Outlook for Kadant Earnings

Kadant Inc (NYSE:KAI) – Analysts at William Blair dropped their Q4 2025 earnings per share estimates for shares of Kadant in a research note issued to investors on Wednesday, October 29th. William Blair analyst R. Sparenblek now anticipates that the industrial products company will earn $2.10 per share for the quarter, down from their prior estimate of $2.59. The consensus estimate for Kadant’s current full-year earnings is $9.97 per share. William Blair also issued estimates for Kadant’s Q2 2026 earnings at $2.84 EPS, Q3 2026 earnings at $3.19 EPS and Q4 2026 earnings at $2.63 EPS.

Kadant (NYSE:KAI) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Tuesday, October 28th. The industrial products company reported $2.59 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.41. Kadant had a return on equity of 11.97% and a net margin of 9.96%.The firm had revenue of $271.57 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $260.17 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.84 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. Kadant has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.050-2.250 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 9.050-9.250 EPS.

Other equities research analysts have also recently issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “hold (c+)” rating on shares of Kadant in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. DA Davidson raised 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. Finally, Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $380.00 target price on shares of Kadant in a report on Monday, October 27th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $340.00.

Kadant Trading Down 3.5%

Shares of KAI stock opened at $275.58 on Monday. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.25 billion, a PE ratio of 31.86 and a beta of 1.22. Kadant has a 1-year low of $270.73 and a 1-year high of $429.95. The business has a 50-day moving average of $306.02 and a 200 day moving average of $315.68. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 9.39 and a quick ratio of 1.53.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kadant

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Kestra Investment Management LLC purchased a new stake in Kadant in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $27,000. Maseco LLP bought a new position in shares of Kadant in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $30,000. BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. bought a new position in shares of Kadant in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $31,000. First Horizon Corp bought a new position in shares of Kadant in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $30,000. Finally, Root Financial Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Kadant in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $35,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Kadant news, Director Thomas C. Leonard sold 415 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on 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 owned 4,250 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,438,242.50. This trade represents a 8.90% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Company insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kadant Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, November 6th. Shareholders of record on Thursday, October 9th will be issued a $0.34 dividend. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, October 9th. This represents a $1.36 annualized dividend and a yield of 0.5%. Kadant’s dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 15.72%.

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.