Kadant Inc (KAI) Releases Q1 2026 Earnings: Revenue Up 17.7%, EPS Beats Estimates

Kadant Inc (KAI) reported first-quarter 2026 revenue of $281.5 million, up 17.7% year-over-year.

Revenue: $281.5 million (+17.7% YoY)

Gross profit: $126.7 million (+14.8% YoY)

Operating profit: $40.1 million (+12.7% YoY)

Net income attributable to common shareholders: $25.5 million (+6.0% YoY)

Diluted earnings per share: $2.16 (+5.9% YoY)

Cash-flow and balance-sheet highlights show improved liquidity and continued investment.

Cash from operating activities: $60.8 million (+166.1% YoY)

Purchases of property, plant and equipment: $6.1 million (+57.7% YoY)

Cash and cash equivalents: $122.7 million (+30.8% YoY)

Total liabilities: $721.1 million (+31.4% YoY)

Cost of sales rose to $154.8 million, with margins roughly 45.0% gross, 14.3% operating and 9.1% net for the quarter.

Kadant beat consensus estimates, with revenue above the expected $277.6 million and diluted EPS higher than the estimate of $2.11.

Note: This financials data is sourced from a third-party provider and has not been independently verified by Quiver.

Kadant Inc Insider Trading Activity

Kadant Inc insiders have traded $KAI stock on the open market 3 times in the past 6 months. Of those trades, 0 have been purchases and 3 have been sales.

Here’s a breakdown of recent trading of $KAI stock by insiders over the last 6 months:

ERIN L RUSSELL sold 1,435 shares for an estimated $405,179
REBECCA MARTINEZ O'MARA has made 0 purchases and 2 sales selling 699 shares for an estimated $186,569.

To track insider transactions, check out Quiver Quantitative's insider trading dashboard. You can access data on insider stock transactions through the Quiver Quantitative API.

Kadant Inc Hedge Fund Activity

We have seen 140 institutional investors add shares of Kadant Inc stock to their portfolio, and 169 decrease their positions in their most recent quarter.

Here are some of the largest recent moves:

M&T BANK CORP added 737,555 shares (+76036.6%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $210,217,926
MACQUARIE GROUP LTD removed 303,795 shares (-100.0%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $86,587,650
CAPITAL WORLD INVESTORS added 178,563 shares (+56.5%) to their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $50,894,026
MORGAN STANLEY removed 148,724 shares (-46.4%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $42,389,314
WASATCH ADVISORS LP added 125,342 shares (+13.7%) to their portfolio in Q1 2026, for an estimated $36,643,733
CHEVY CHASE TRUST HOLDINGS, LLC removed 100,386 shares (-44.3%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $28,612,017
KAYNE ANDERSON RUDNICK INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LLC removed 88,977 shares (-7.0%) from their portfolio in Q4 2025, for an estimated $25,360,224

To track hedge funds' stock portfolios, check out Quiver Quantitative's institutional holdings dashboard. You can access data on hedge funds moves and 13F filings through the Quiver Quantitative API.

Kadant Inc Analyst Ratings

Wall Street analysts have issued reports on $KAI in the last several months. We have seen 1 firms issue buy ratings on the stock, and 0 firms issue sell ratings.

Here are some recent analyst ratings:

Barrington Research issued a "Outperform" rating on 02/24/2026

To track analyst ratings and price targets for Kadant Inc, check out Quiver Quantitative's $KAI forecast page.

Kadant Inc Price Targets

Multiple analysts have issued price targets for $KAI recently. We have seen 2 analysts offer price targets for $KAI in the last 6 months, with a median target of $337.5.

Here are some recent targets:

Gary Prestopino from Barrington Research set a target price of $380.0 on 05/04/2026
Kurt Yinger from DA Davidson set a target price of $295.0 on 02/09/2026