Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC Lowers Position in Kadant Inc $KAI

Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Kadant Inc (NYSE:KAI) by 8.1% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 44,903 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 3,943 shares during the quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC owned 0.38% of Kadant worth $13,049,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position 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 last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Kadant during the second quarter valued at about $27,000. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Kadant by 102.3% during the fourth quarter. CWM LLC now owns 87 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 44 shares during the last quarter. Kestra Advisory Services LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Kadant in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $27,000. Finally, Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in shares of Kadant in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. 96.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Kadant Trading Up 0.6%

NYSE KAI opened at $308.32 on Wednesday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a quick ratio of 1.53 and a current ratio of 2.47. The firm has a market cap of $3.64 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 35.16 and a beta of 1.20. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $307.49 and a 200-day simple moving average of $315.33. Kadant Inc has a one year low of $244.87 and a one year high of $369.97.

Kadant (NYSE:KAI) last announced its earnings results 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. The firm had revenue of $281.51 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $274.95 million. Kadant had a net margin of 9.45% and a return on equity of 12.13%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 17.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned $2.10 EPS. Kadant has set its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.880-2.980 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 12.330-12.680 EPS. Equities research analysts anticipate that Kadant Inc will post 12.42 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Kadant declared that its Board of Directors has approved a share buyback program on Thursday, May 21st that authorizes the company to buyback $50.00 million in shares. This buyback authorization authorizes the industrial products company to purchase up to 1.4% of its shares through open market purchases. Shares buyback programs are typically an indication that the company’s board believes its stock is undervalued.

Kadant Announces Dividend

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

Insider Transactions at Kadant

In related news, SVP Stacy D. Krause sold 1,227 shares of Kadant stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 27th. The stock was sold at an average price of $334.17, for a total value of $410,026.59. Following the completion of the transaction, the senior vice president directly owned 1,363 shares in the company, valued at approximately $455,473.71. This trade represents a 47.37% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 1.30% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

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.