Barrington Research Reiterates Outperform Rating for Kadant (NYSE:KAI)

Kadant (NYSE:KAI)‘s stock had its “outperform” rating reissued by equities researchers at Barrington Research in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. They presently have a $380.00 price objective on the industrial products company’s stock. Barrington Research’s target price would indicate a potential upside of 14.12% from the stock’s previous close.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kadant in a research report on Monday, December 29th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have assigned a Hold rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $337.50.

Kadant Stock Up 1.6%

Kadant stock opened at $332.97 on Tuesday. Kadant has a twelve month low of $244.87 and a twelve month high of $409.73. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $302.35 and a 200-day moving average price of $304.85. The company has a market capitalization of $3.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 38.49 and a beta of 1.25. The company has a quick ratio of 1.60, a current ratio of 2.45 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.26.

Insider Transactions at Kadant

In other 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 value of $405,186.60. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 3,066 shares in the company, 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 legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, Director Rebecca Martinez O’mara sold 699 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $266.91, for a total transaction of $186,570.09. Following the sale, the director directly owned 1,141 shares in the company, valued at $304,544.31. This trade represents a 37.99% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. 1.40% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Large investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. M&T Bank Corp increased its holdings in shares of Kadant by 76,036.6% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 738,525 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $210,494,000 after purchasing an additional 737,555 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new position in Kadant during the second quarter worth about $40,019,000. Champlain Investment Partners LLC increased its stake in Kadant by 54.6% in the 2nd quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 248,632 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $78,928,000 after acquiring an additional 87,832 shares during the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased its stake in Kadant by 141.3% in the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 99,703 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,670,000 after acquiring an additional 58,382 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Kadant by 28.2% in the 4th quarter. Conestoga Capital Advisors LLC now owns 216,204 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $61,623,000 after acquiring an additional 47,506 shares in the last quarter. 96.13% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Key Headlines 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.