Kadant’s (KAI) “Neutral” Rating Reaffirmed at DA Davidson

DA Davidson reaffirmed their neutral rating on shares of Kadant (NYSE:KAI) in a research note published on Wednesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $295.00 target price on the industrial products company’s stock.

KAI has been the topic of a number of other reports. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kadant in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and set a $380.00 target price on shares of Kadant in a research report on Tuesday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Kadant currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $337.50.

Kadant Price Performance

KAI opened at $332.97 on Wednesday. Kadant has a one year low of $244.87 and a one year high of $409.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26, a current ratio of 2.45 and a quick ratio of 1.60. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $302.35 and its 200-day simple moving average is $304.85. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.49 and a beta of 1.25.

Kadant Announces Dividend

The business also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Thursday, February 5th. Investors of record on Thursday, January 8th will be paid a dividend of $0.34 per share. The ex-dividend date of this dividend is Thursday, January 8th. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a dividend yield of 0.4%. Kadant’s payout ratio is 15.72%.

Insider Transactions at Kadant

In other Kadant news, Director Rebecca Martinez O’mara sold 699 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.91, for a total transaction of $186,570.09. Following the transaction, the director owned 1,141 shares in the company, valued at approximately $304,544.31. This trade represents a 37.99% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, Director Erin L. Russell sold 1,435 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $282.36, for a total value of $405,186.60. Following the transaction, the director owned 3,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $865,715.76. The trade was a 31.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Kadant

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in KAI. CWM LLC increased its position in shares of Kadant by 102.3% in the 4th quarter. CWM LLC now owns 87 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 44 shares in the last quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its holdings in Kadant by 1,300.0% during the third quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 84 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 78 shares in the last quarter. Kestra Investment Management LLC acquired a new position in Kadant in the second quarter valued at about $27,000. Danske Bank A S bought a new stake in shares of Kadant in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, First Horizon Corp bought a new stake in shares of Kadant in the third quarter worth about $30,000. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Stories Impacting Kadant

Here are the key news stories impacting Kadant this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Acquisition and analyst support: Kadant’s purchase of Böhler PROFIL GmbH is highlighted as strengthening recurring revenue and supporting M&A-driven growth; William Blair maintained a Buy rating citing that strategic fit. TipRanks article
• Positive Sentiment: Barrington Research reaffirmed an Outperform rating with a $380 price target (~14% upside vs. current levels), offering additional analyst backing that could attract buyers. Benzinga
• Neutral Sentiment: Upcoming catalyst — Kadant is scheduled to report quarterly earnings this Wednesday; results and guidance could create near-term volatility and reprice expectations. Earnings notice
• Neutral Sentiment: Investor materials and call coverage — Seeking Alpha has published the M&A call slideshow and transcript for the Böhler PROFIL deal; useful for investors doing due diligence but not new fundamental news. Slideshow Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: DA Davidson maintained a Neutral rating but set a $295 price target (about an 11% downside versus current levels), introducing a notable near-term bear case from a reputable shop that could cap upside. TickerReport

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.