Kennametal Inc. (NYSE:KMT) Short Interest Up 26.1% in February

Kennametal Inc. (NYSE:KMT) was the recipient of a significant increase in short interest in February. As of February 13th, there was short interest totaling 2,811,786 shares, an increase of 26.1% from the January 29th total of 2,228,936 shares. Based on an average daily volume of 2,413,747 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.2 days. Approximately 3.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Approximately 3.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average daily volume of 2,413,747 shares, the short-interest ratio is presently 1.2 days.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, VP John Wayne Witt sold 5,060 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, February 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $38.29, for a total value of $193,747.40. Following the completion of the sale, the vice president directly owned 1,634 shares in the company, valued at $62,565.86. This trade represents a 75.59% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 1.43% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Kennametal

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of the stock. Kohmann Bosshard Financial Services LLC purchased a new position in Kennametal in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in shares of Kennametal during the 4th quarter worth $31,000. Hantz Financial Services Inc. increased its holdings in Kennametal by 350.2% in the 3rd quarter. Hantz Financial Services Inc. now owns 1,373 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after acquiring an additional 1,068 shares during the last quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC raised its stake in Kennametal by 80.7% in the 2nd quarter. Headlands Technologies LLC now owns 1,527 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 682 shares during the period. Finally, Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. raised its stake in Kennametal by 116.2% in the 2nd quarter. Nomura Asset Management Co. Ltd. now owns 1,600 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $37,000 after acquiring an additional 860 shares during the period.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on the company. Morgan Stanley boosted their price objective on Kennametal from $29.00 to $36.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 10th. Barclays boosted their price target on shares of Kennametal from $28.00 to $40.00 and gave the company an “equal weight” rating in a research note on Monday, February 9th. The Goldman Sachs Group set a $32.00 price objective on shares of Kennametal in a report on Friday, February 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Kennametal from $25.00 to $37.00 and gave the stock an “underweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, UBS Group raised their price target on shares of Kennametal from $32.00 to $39.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Thursday, February 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $34.67.

Kennametal Stock Performance

KMT stock opened at $41.91 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 1.14, a current ratio of 2.55 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The firm has a market cap of $3.19 billion, a PE ratio of 29.31, a P/E/G ratio of 0.69 and a beta of 1.47. The business has a 50 day moving average of $35.36 and a 200-day moving average of $27.92. Kennametal has a 12-month low of $17.30 and a 12-month high of $42.03.

Kennametal (NYSE:KMT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 4th. The industrial products company reported $0.47 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.35 by $0.12. Kennametal had a return on equity of 9.46% and a net margin of 5.43%.The business had revenue of $529.53 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $514.70 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.25 earnings per share. The business’s revenue was up 9.9% on a year-over-year basis. Kennametal has set its Q3 2026 guidance at 0.500-0.600 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 2.050-2.450 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Kennametal will post 1.17 earnings per share for the current year.

Kennametal Announces Dividend

The business also recently announced a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Tuesday, February 24th. Shareholders of record on Tuesday, February 10th were paid a $0.20 dividend. This represents a $0.80 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 1.9%. The ex-dividend date was Tuesday, February 10th. Kennametal’s payout ratio is presently 55.94%.

About Kennametal

Kennametal Inc is a global industrial technology company that designs and manufactures advanced materials, tooling systems, and engineered components for a range of demanding applications. Its solutions support precision metalworking, earthmoving, and wear-resistant environments, catering to customers seeking enhanced productivity, longer tool life, and reduced operating costs.

The company’s product portfolio spans indexable cutting tools, solid round tools, tool holders, metalworking fluid systems, wear parts, ceramics and composites, and custom-engineered components.