Neuberger Berman Group LLC Sells 62,979 Shares of Kadant Inc $KAI

Neuberger Berman Group LLC cut its stake in Kadant Inc (NYSE:KAI) by 11.3% in the second quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 492,216 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 62,979 shares during the quarter. Neuberger Berman Group LLC’s holdings in Kadant were worth $156,254,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the stock. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System raised its stake in Kadant by 1.0% during the second quarter. Maryland State Retirement & Pension System now owns 3,461 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $1,099,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares in the last quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management grew its holdings in shares of Kadant by 1.6% in the 2nd quarter. Sheets Smith Wealth Management now owns 2,360 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $749,000 after purchasing an additional 38 shares during the last quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers increased its position in shares of Kadant by 5.6% during the 1st quarter. Cetera Investment Advisers now owns 760 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $256,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares in the last quarter. Blair William & Co. IL lifted its holdings in Kadant by 0.3% during the 2nd quarter. Blair William & Co. IL now owns 11,673 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $3,706,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its holdings in Kadant by 5.1% during the 2nd quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 879 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $290,000 after purchasing an additional 43 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company’s stock.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Rebecca Martinez O’mara sold 699 shares of Kadant stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, November 11th. The shares were 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $304,544.31. This trade represents a 37.99% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Erin L. Russell sold 1,435 shares of the company’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 completion of the sale, the director directly owned 3,066 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $865,715.76. The trade was a 31.88% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Corporate insiders own 1.40% of the company’s stock.

Kadant Trading Down 1.1%

KAI opened at $278.40 on Friday. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $284.77 and a 200 day simple moving average of $310.82. Kadant Inc has a fifty-two week low of $244.87 and a fifty-two week high of $422.73. The company has a market cap of $3.28 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 32.19 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.27, a current ratio of 9.39 and a quick ratio of 1.53.

Kadant (NYSE:KAI) last released its earnings results on Tuesday, October 28th. The industrial products company reported $2.59 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.18 by $0.41. The firm had revenue of $271.57 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $260.17 million. Kadant had a net margin of 9.96% and a return on equity of 11.97%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up .0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned $2.84 EPS. Kadant has set its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.050-2.250 EPS. FY 2025 guidance at 9.050-9.250 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Kadant Inc will post 9.97 earnings per share for the current year.

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 issued a $0.34 dividend. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.5%. The ex-dividend date is Thursday, January 8th. Kadant’s dividend payout ratio is currently 15.72%.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have weighed in on KAI. DA Davidson upped their price objective on shares of Kadant from $275.00 to $300.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Monday, August 4th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “hold (c)” rating on shares of Kadant in a report on Tuesday. Finally, Barrington Research reissued an “outperform” rating and issued a $380.00 price objective on shares of Kadant in a research note on Monday, October 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have issued a Hold rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Kadant has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $340.00.

Kadant Profile

Kadant Inc supplies technologies and engineered systems worldwide. It operates in three segments: Flow Control, Industrial Processing, and Material Handling. The Flow Control segment develops, manufactures, and markets fluid-handling systems and equipment, such as rotary joints, syphons, turbulator bars, expansion joints, and engineered steam and condensate systems; and doctoring, cleaning, and filtration systems and related consumables consisting of doctor systems and holders, doctor blades, cleaning shower and fabric-conditioning systems, forming systems and wear surfaces, and water-filtration systems.