Kadant (NYSE:KAI) Updates Q1 2026 Earnings Guidance

19 Feb 2026, 17:14 by Michael Walen · The Markets Daily

Kadant (NYSE:KAI – Get Free Report) updated its first quarter 2026 earnings guidance on Wednesday. The company provided EPS guidance of 1.780-1.880 for the period, compared to the consensus EPS estimate of 2.260. The company issued revenue guidance of $270.0 million-$280.0 million, compared to the consensus revenue estimate of $272.5 million. Kadant also updated its FY 2026 guidance to 10.500-10.750 EPS.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms recently issued reports on KAI. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kadant in a research note on Monday, December 29th. DA Davidson set a $295.00 price target on shares of Kadant in a research report on Monday, February 9th. Finally, Barrington Research restated an “outperform” rating and issued a $380.00 price objective on shares of Kadant in a report on Wednesday. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $337.50.

View Our Latest Stock Report on KAI

Kadant Stock Up 1.7%

Shares of Kadant stock traded up $5.37 during trading on Thursday, hitting $325.84. 128,053 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 128,186. 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 firm’s 50-day moving average price is $312.45 and its 200 day moving average price is $304.53. The stock has a market cap of $3.84 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 37.72 and a beta of 1.25. Kadant has a 12-month low of $244.87 and a 12-month high of $395.07.

Kadant (NYSE:KAI – Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, February 18th. The industrial products company reported $2.27 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.19 by $0.08. The company had revenue of $286.20 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $274.43 million. Kadant had a return on equity of 11.97% and a net margin of 9.96%.During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.25 EPS. Kadant’s revenue for the quarter was up 10.9% on a year-over-year basis. Kadant has set its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.780-1.880 EPS and its FY 2026 guidance at 10.500-10.750 EPS. As a group, analysts forecast that Kadant will post 9.97 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Kadant news, Director Erin L. Russell sold 1,435 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $282.36, for a total transaction of $405,186.60. Following the sale, the director owned 3,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $865,715.76. This trade represents a 31.88% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. 1.40% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Kadant News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Kadant this week:

Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat expectations: GAAP EPS $2.27 vs. $2.19 consensus and revenue $286.2M vs. $274.4M expected — shows near-term execution and demand resilience. Kadant (KAI) Surpasses Q4 Earnings and Revenue Estimates
Positive Sentiment: Record Q4 revenue and improved margins: revenue rose ~11% YoY and margins expanded, supporting stronger profitability going forward. Kadant Posts Record Q4 Revenue and Improves Margins
Positive Sentiment: FY 2026 EPS guidance raised to $10.50–$10.75, above the Street (~$10.25) — a signal of stronger full-year profitability expectations. Kadant Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Results
Positive Sentiment: Analyst support: Barrington Research reaffirmed an “outperform” rating and a $380 price target, indicating some analyst conviction above current levels. Benzinga: Barrington Research Reaffirmation
Neutral Sentiment: FY revenue guidance roughly $1.2B — essentially in line with expectations, so revenue guidance alone is neither a big positive nor negative surprise. Kadant FY Guidance (press release)
Negative Sentiment: Q1 2026 EPS guidance missed the Street: company guided $1.780–$1.880 vs. consensus ~$2.26 — a material shortfall that likely drove the intraday decline as it signals near-term softness. Kadant Reports Fourth Quarter and Fiscal Year 2025 Results
Neutral Sentiment: Q1 revenue guide $270M–$280M is centered near consensus ($272.5M) but the EPS weakness suggests margin or timing issues to monitor. Kadant Q1 Revenue Guidance (press release)

Institutional Trading of Kadant

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its position in Kadant by 11.2% during the first quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 2,763 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $931,000 after buying an additional 279 shares during the period. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC grew its holdings in shares of Kadant by 8.6% in the 1st quarter. Integrated Wealth Concepts LLC now owns 907 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $306,000 after acquiring an additional 72 shares during the period. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. increased its stake in Kadant by 4.7% in the 1st quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 6,985 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $2,353,000 after purchasing an additional 311 shares in the last quarter. United Services Automobile Association acquired a new position in Kadant during the first quarter worth $255,000. Finally, UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC boosted its position in Kadant by 1.4% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 30,974 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $10,435,000 after purchasing an additional 441 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

About Kadant

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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.