Kadant Inc.
KAIKadant Inc. is strength at full price. The numbers are improving — and a P/E at the 81st percentile of its own range says the market knows.
The sharpest disagreement: the engine is strong, but at the 81st percentile of its own range you are paying full price for it.
The price is topping out (3 weeks in) while the P/E sits at the 81st percentile of its own 4-year range. Underneath, the last four quarters read improving — profit +50.0% year on year, and 152% of the last 3 years' profit arrived as cash. What settles it: whether the earnings grow into the multiple.
Price story Before the numbers, the tape. A stock price moves through four repeating seasons: a flat base (stage 1), an advance (2), a top (3), a decline (4). Where the price sits in that cycle frames everything below.
Kadant Inc. trades at $315, losing momentum at the top and 3 weeks into that stage. That is +3.1% against its own 200-day average. It sits at 68% of a 52-week range of $255 to $343. On relative strength it has been ahead of the S&P 500 on a trailing-13-week view for 1 straight week.
Today the stock is losing momentum at the top — week 3 of stage 3. At $315 it trades +3.1% versus its 200-day average and sits at 68% of its 52-week range ($255–$343).
Against the market, two honest reads. Cumulative: over the last 10.1 years the stock moved +494% while the S&P 500 moved +248% — ahead of the index over the full window. Recent form: on a trailing-13-week view the stock has been ahead for 1 straight week — the ribbon below is that same metric, week by week.
What would end the trend, mechanically: two Friday closes in a row below the 200-day line. That is the exit rule — no debates.
→ The trend is one thing; the bill is another. Are you paying up for it? Next: the P/E sits at the 81st percentile of its own range.
Valuation P/E is the price of $1 of annual profit: how many dollars the market pays for each dollar the company earns in a year.
Kadant Inc. trades at 35.9× P/E, at the pricey end of its own range (81st percentile). Its long-run median P/E is 31.0×, measured across 4.3 years of weekly readings. This places the multiple against the stock’s own record, and says nothing about what the business is worth.
Today's P/E of 35.9× is at the pricey end of its own range (81st percentile), against a long-run median of 31.0× measured over 4.3 years of weekly readings. This is a comparison against the stock's own history — not a claim about what it is worth.
Why the multiple sits where it does: over the past year annual EPS moved −8.8% against a −8.8% price move — the price outran earnings, pushing the multiple UP its own range.
The price move, decomposed: over 3y, of the +13.2%/yr price move, ~−2.7%/yr came from earnings growth and ~+15.9 pp from the multiple (expanding). The split is the honest approximate (price return minus earnings growth); it makes the rally itself visible instead of hiding it behind the percentile.
Put together: the multiple is full against its own past, so the story rests on the earnings line underneath it, not the multiple.
→ Cheap or dear rides on the earnings. Are they actually growing? Next: the fundamental stage — where the business sits in its arc, and how growth has compounded.
Stage: Turning around Every business sits somewhere on a fundamental arc, and this page names the spot before anything else. The last twelve quarters of revenue, profit and EPS growth — plus the return the business earns on its capital — are read as curves: Deteriorating (the curves are falling), Turning around (a trough has just formed and the last few quarters lift off it), Improving (the climb off the trough is sustained), Consistent (steadily positive with healthy returns), Topping out (still high but decelerating from the peak). When the curves genuinely disagree the read is Mixed; too little history is No read. CAGR (compound annual growth rate) is the smooth yearly pace that turns the starting value into the latest one — the fairest way to compare growth across different time spans. Read the columns together: if the 1-year number towers over the 10-year, recent growth is running hotter than the long-run trend. A dash means that window is not held, or the base year was a loss (where a growth rate is not meaningful).
Kadant Inc. reads as turning around on its fundamental arc. Turning around — profit growth swung from −9.1% at the trough to +10.0%, a 2-quarter improving streak, ROCE holding at 11.7%. The read is built from 12 quarters across 4 curves, on full evidence.
Why it matters: growth inflections are where re-ratings start — the curves say a turn is forming, so the question becomes whether the next quarters confirm it.
| 1yr | 3yr | 5yr | 10yr | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Revenue | — | +3.0% | — | — |
| Profit | — | −5.9% | — | — |
| EPS | — | −4.5% | — | — |
| Stock price | −8.8% | +13.2% | +11.8% | +19.1% |
→ The stage names the trajectory. Next: the revenue line that produces it, quarter by quarter.
4-Factor Sector Score
No sector-relative score — Kadant Inc. is not among the largest members shown in this industry comparison for Specialty Industrial Machinery.
The score is a rank WITHIN a peer set: every metric is scored by percentile against the other members. Without the peer set there is no score to state, so none is invented here.
Revenue Revenue is the top line: everything the company billed its customers in the period.
Kadant Inc. reported $0.3 B of revenue in the Apr 26 quarter, +16.7% year on year. Over 4 years it has compounded at 7.4% a year. The last full year, FY26, came in at $1.1 B. The last four reported quarters add to $1.1 B.
Kadant Inc. reported $0.3 B of revenue in the Apr 26 quarter, +16.7% year on year. Over 4 years it has compounded at 7.4% a year. The last full year, FY26, came in at $1.1 B. The last four reported quarters add to $1.1 B.
FY26 revenue came in at $1.1 B (+0.0% on the year), capping 4 years at 7.4% compound. The latest quarter (Apr 26) printed $0.3 B, +16.7% year on year.
Pace check: the last four quarters averaged +4.3% growth against the decade's 7.4% — the current year is running slower than its own long-run rate.
Acceleration check: trailing-twelve-month revenue grew +5.8% over the last 4 quarters against +5.9%/yr over the last 8 — stabilising; TTM profit +10.0% vs +0.0%/yr — accelerating.
→ Revenue grew — did margins hold as it scaled? Next: 14.3% this quarter (−2.4 pp YoY).
Operating margin Operating margin is what is left of every $100 of sales after running the business, before interest and tax. It is the cleanest read on pricing power and cost control.
Kadant Inc.'s operating margin is 14.3% in the Apr 26 quarter, −2.4 percentage points against the same quarter a year ago. Across 5 fiscal years the operating margin has ranged 15.2% to 18.9%. The current quarter is running below every full year in that window.
Kadant Inc.'s operating margin is 14.3% in the Apr 26 quarter, −2.4 percentage points against the same quarter a year ago. Across 5 fiscal years the operating margin has ranged 15.2% to 18.9%. The current quarter is running below every full year in that window.
The latest quarter's operating margin is 14.3%, −2.4 pp against the same quarter a year ago. Across 5 fiscal years the operating margin has ranged 15.2%–18.9%.
🚨 Why the margin moved: operating margin went −2.4 pp year on year while gross margin went +0.6 pp — the loss came mostly below the gross line: operating leverage, with costs spread over a bigger revenue base.
→ Margins slipped — did that reach the bottom line? Next: profit +50.0% in the latest quarter.
Net profit Net profit is what survives every cost, interest and tax — the number EPS, dividends and book value all grow from.
Kadant Inc. earned $0.0 B of net profit in the Apr 26 quarter, +50.0% year on year. Full-year FY26 profit was $0.1 B. The 4-year compound rate is 5.7%. That is 10.7% of the quarter's revenue. The same quarter a year earlier earned $0.0 B.
Kadant Inc. earned $0.0 B of net profit in the Apr 26 quarter, +50.0% year on year. Full-year FY26 profit was $0.1 B. The 4-year compound rate is 5.7%. That is 10.7% of the quarter's revenue. The same quarter a year earlier earned $0.0 B.
Apr 26 profit was $0.0 B, +50.0% year on year. On the full year, FY26 printed $0.1 B (−9.1%), and the 4-year compound rate is 5.7%.
Why profit moved: revenue contributed +16.7% and the margin −2.4 pp — the quarter was revenue-led despite a thinner margin.
Pace comparison, last four quarters: profit +16.7% vs revenue +4.3%. Profit is growing faster than sales — fixed costs are being spread over a bigger base, and each extra dollar of revenue drops more to the bottom line.
→ Profit rose — but did the cash follow? Next: 152% of the last 3 years' profit arrived as cash.
Cash flow — the router The P&L says what was earned; the cash-flow statement says what actually arrived. Operating cash flow (CFO) against profit is the cleanest lie detector in the accounts.
Over the last 3 fiscal years 152% of Kadant Inc.'s reported profit arrived as operating cash — the cash follows the profit. In FY26 that was $0.2 B of operating cash against $0.1 B of profit. After $0.0 B of capital spending, $0.1 B was left as free cash.
FY26: operating cash of $0.2 B against reported profit of $0.1 B, leaving free cash of $0.1 B after $0.0 B of capital spending. Across the last 3 fiscal years the conversion rate is 152% of profit.
Cash-flow readings here are annual — that is the resolution our series carries, so this section moves once a year.
Why: conversion is measured cleanly, but the working-capital day-counts behind it sit below what we hold — the move is shown without inventing its driver.
Router verdict: the visible cash user is investment — the next section checks what the spending is buying.
→ So follow the cash to where it goes. Next: $0.0 B of building over 3 years.
Where the cash goes Working capital is the cash tied up between paying suppliers and getting paid: debtor days (customers owe), inventory days (stock waits), and the cash conversion cycle (the whole loop, in days of sales).
Kadant Inc. does not report the debtor, inventory and payable day-counts a cash cycle is built from, so this section reads the investment side instead. Capital spending ran $0.0 B over the last 3 years. Averaged over those years that is 0.0% of FY26 revenue a year.
Working-capital day-counts are not in our numbers for this stock, so this section reads the investment side — where the cash is being put to work.
On the investment side: capital spending of $0.0 B over the last 3 fiscal years.
The synthesis: the cash is going into capacity, not disappearing into the cycle — the question becomes whether the new capacity earns.
→ Does all this activity actually earn its cost of capital? Next: ROE is 11% and the ROIC − WACC spread is −0.5 pp.
Return on equity Return on equity (ROE) is the profit the business earns on its shareholders’ money. With the full capital-employed split not in our numbers, ROE is the cleanest long ladder we can draw here.
Kadant Inc. earns a ROE of 10% in FY26. Return on invested capital clears the cost of that capital by −0.5 percentage points, so growth here is not yet paying for the capital it uses. The wiring behind it is 9.5% net margin on 0.61× asset turns.
FY26 ROE is 10%.
🚨 Why the return is what it is — the wiring (FY26): 9.5% net margin × 0.61× asset turns × 1.74× balance-sheet leverage ≈ 10.1% on equity. Margin does its share; leverage is a meaningful part of the equation.
The capstone test — ROIC − WACC: 9.6% − 10.1% = a −0.5 pp spread. The 10.1% is an estimate of this company's own cost of capital — read the sign and the size of the spread, not the decimals. Negative — growth at these returns destroys value until the returns recover.
→ Returns like these — is the balance sheet borrowing to make them? Next: debt-to-equity is 0.36.
Dividend A dividend is cash paid out per share. Dividend per share is the declared amount for the period; the trailing twelve-month total is the four most recent quarters added together.
Kadant Inc. paid $1.38 per share over the last four reported quarters, up 5.9% on a year ago. The most recent declaration was $0.36 for Apr 26. Against the current price of $315 that is a trailing yield of 0.44%, measured on dividends already paid rather than on a forecast.
Kadant Inc. paid $1.38 per share over the last four reported quarters, up 5.9% on a year ago. The most recent declaration was $0.36 for Apr 26. Against the current price of $315 that is a trailing yield of 0.44%, measured on dividends already paid rather than on a forecast.
Kadant Inc. paid $1.38 per share across the last four reported quarters, most recently $0.36 for Apr 26. That is up 5.9% against the same quarter a year earlier. Against the current price of $315 the trailing twelve months work out to 0.44% — trailing dividends measured against today's price, not a forward estimate.
→ A payout is cash leaving the business. Next: what the balance sheet looks like behind it.
Debt Debt-to-equity says how much of the business is funded by borrowings. Low is the safe corner; the trend matters as much as the level.
Kadant Inc. carries total debt of $0.4 B against shareholder equity of $1.0 B as of Apr 26, a debt-to-equity of 0.36. On the annual view that ratio went from 0.47 in FY22 to 0.38 in FY26. Read the returns elsewhere on this page with that leverage in mind.
Apr 26: total debt of $0.4 B against shareholder equity of $1.0 B — a debt-to-equity of 0.36. On the annual view, debt-to-equity went from 0.47 (FY22) to 0.38 (FY26). Read the returns on this page with that leverage in mind.
→ Who owns this, and are they adding or leaving? Next: short interest is 9.7% of the float.
Ownership There is no quarter-by-quarter holder register to read here, so we read the crowd through short interest — the slice of tradable shares currently sold short, positioned for a fall.
9.7% of Kadant Inc.'s tradable float is currently sold short — some money is positioned against it. At typical trading volumes those positions would take about 7.5 days to buy back. There is no quarter-by-quarter holder register to read for this filer, so the crowd is read through short interest instead.
The latest reading: 9.7% of the float is sold short, and at typical trading volumes it would take about 7.5 days to buy those positions back. Some money is positioned against it. This is a single point-in-time reading — we do not yet hold its history, so we show no trend chart.
Why it sits there: who is doing the shorting, and why, does not travel with the number — the level is shown without inventing its story.
→ One last check: does the safety math agree? Next: the balance-sheet safety line.
Safety line The Z-score estimates how far a company sits from balance-sheet distress — above roughly 3 is safe, below roughly 1.8 is the danger zone. It was built for manufacturers, so it is not applied to banks and lenders.
Kadant Inc.: the Z-score reads 5.09. A Z-score above roughly 3 reads as safe and below roughly 1.8 as the distress zone, so this sits well clear of distress. It is a distance-to-distress estimate from the balance sheet, not a forecast of failure.
Why it matters: a Z-score of 5.09 sits well clear of the distress zone — the balance sheet is not the risk here.
The safety line in one sentence: the Z-score reads 5.09.
| Company | P/E | Mkt cap | Revenue | EPS | ROCE | Stage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kadant Inc. this page | 35.9× | $4B | Turning around | |||
| GE Vernova Inc. | 27.0× | $251B | No read | |||
| Eaton Corporation plc | 37.8× | $150B | Consistent | |||
| Parker-Hannifin Corporation | 36.6× | $125B | Mixed | |||
| Cummins Inc. | 34.4× | $89B | Topping out | |||
| Emerson Electric Co. | 35.1× | $85B | Improving | |||
| Illinois Tool Works Inc. | 25.8× | $85B | Deteriorating | |||
| AMETEK, Inc. | 36.5× | $55B | Mixed | |||
| Rockwell Automation, Inc. | 48.9× | $52B | Improving | |||
| Ingersoll Rand Inc. | 58.6× | $34B | Deteriorating | |||
| Xylem Inc. | 29.7× | $30B | Mixed | |||
| Otis Worldwide Corporation | 18.9× | $28B | Deteriorating | |||
| Dover Corporation | 24.4× | $27B | Improving | |||
| Symbotic Inc. | — | $26B | No read | |||
| ITT Inc. | 35.4× | $18B | Deteriorating | |||
| Nordson Corporation | 32.3× | $17B | Turning around | |||
| IDEX Corporation | 33.2× | $17B | Turning around | |||
| Regal Rexnord Corporation | 47.2× | $14B | Improving | |||
| Graco Inc. | 25.9× | $13B | Mixed | |||
| Crane Company | 41.5× | $13B | Topping out | |||
| Watts Water Technologies, Inc. | 31.7× | $12B | Consistent | |||
| Generac Holdings Inc. | 61.1× | $12B | Deteriorating | |||
| Donaldson Company, Inc. | 25.7× | $11B | Turning around | |||
| Pentair plc | 16.8× | $11B | Mixed | |||
| Chart Industries, Inc. | — | $10B | Deteriorating | |||
| Flowserve Corporation | 27.0× | $9B | Consistent | |||
| A. O. Smith Corporation | 17.1× | $9B | Mixed | |||
| JBT Marel Corporation | 45.4× | $8B | Deteriorating | |||
| Gates Industrial Corporation plc | 27.8× | $7B | Improving | |||
| Enpro Inc. | 152.7× | $7B | Deteriorating | |||
| The Middleby Corporation | 18.5× | $6B | Deteriorating | |||
| CSW Industrials, Inc. | 44.6× | $5B | Deteriorating | |||
| Franklin Electric Co., Inc. | 31.6× | $5B | Deteriorating | |||
| Mirion Technologies, Inc. | 189.9× | $4B | No read | |||
| Mueller Water Products, Inc. | 19.6× | $4B | Mixed | |||
| Standex International Corporation | 35.8× | $4B | Turning around | |||
| Crane NXT, Co. | 24.5× | $3B | Deteriorating | |||
| NuScale Power Corporation | — | $3B | No read | |||
| ERock, Inc. | — | $3B | — | — | — | — |
| ATS Corporation | 51.6× | $3B | Deteriorating |
Frequently asked questions
What is Kadant Inc.'s stock price today?
Kadant Inc. trades at $315, −8.8% over the past year. The company is valued at $4.0 B. The stock sits at 68% of its 52-week range of $255–$343, +3.1% versus its 200-day average. On the tape, the price is topping out, 3 weeks in. — as of 29 July 2026.
What were Kadant Inc.'s latest quarterly results?
Kadant Inc. reported revenue of $0.3 B and net profit of $0.0 B for the Apr 26 quarter. Revenue rose 16.7% and profit rose 50.0% year on year. Earnings per share were $2.16. The operating margin was 14.3%, 2.4 pp lower than a year earlier. — as of 29 July 2026.
What is Kadant Inc.'s revenue?
Kadant Inc. reported revenue of $0.3 B in the Apr 26 quarter, +16.7% year on year. For the full FY26 fiscal year, revenue was $1.1 B (+0.0%). Over the last 4 years revenue compounded at 7.4% a year. — as of 29 July 2026.
What is Kadant Inc.'s profit?
Kadant Inc. earned $0.0 B of net profit in the Apr 26 quarter, +50.0% year on year. Full-year FY26 profit was $0.1 B. The operating margin ran 14.3% in the latest quarter. — as of 29 July 2026.
What is Kadant Inc.'s market cap?
Kadant Inc.'s market capitalisation is $4.0 B at a stock price of $315. Market cap is the share price multiplied by shares outstanding, so it is restated whenever the price moves. — as of 29 July 2026.
What is Kadant Inc.'s P/E ratio?
Kadant Inc. trades at a P/E of 35.9×, at the 81st percentile of its own 4-year range, against a long-run median of 31.0×. This is a comparison with the stock's own history, not a value call — as of 29 July 2026.
Does Kadant Inc. pay a dividend?
Yes — Kadant Inc. declared $0.36 per share for Apr 26, and $1.38 per share across the last four reported quarters. The latest quarter is up 5.9% on the same quarter a year earlier. — as of 29 July 2026.
What is Kadant Inc.'s dividend per share?
Kadant Inc.'s most recently declared dividend is $0.36 per share for Apr 26, giving $1.38 per share over the trailing twelve months. Each figure is the amount declared for that quarter as reported, added across four quarters for the trailing total. — as of 29 July 2026.
What is Kadant Inc.'s dividend yield?
Kadant Inc.'s trailing dividend yield is 0.44%: $1.38 declared per share across the last four reported quarters, against a share price of $315. Each quarter’s figure is the amount declared for that quarter as reported, added across four quarters and divided by the latest close. — as of 29 July 2026.
Is Kadant Inc. overvalued?
On its own history, Kadant Inc. looks expensive against its own history: its P/E of 35.9× sits at the 81st percentile of its 4-year range (long-run median 31.0×). That is a percentile read against the stock's own past, not a price opinion or a direction call. — as of 29 July 2026.
Is Kadant Inc. growing?
Yes — Kadant Inc. is growing: latest-quarter revenue +16.7% year on year, profit +50.0%, and the margin −2.4 pp at 14.3%. The 4-year compound rates are 7.4% (revenue) and 5.7% (profit). The earnings engine currently reads: improving — as of 29 July 2026.
How is Kadant Inc. performing?
Kadant Inc. is topping out, 3 weeks in. Its latest quarter's revenue rose 16.7% and profit rose 50.0% year on year. Against the S&P 500 it has been ahead on a trailing-13-week view for 1 week. This describes what the data did, not a rating. — as of 29 July 2026.
What stage is Kadant Inc. in?
Turning around — profit growth swung from −9.1% at the trough to +10.0%, a 2-quarter improving streak, ROCE holding at 11.7%. The read comes from the last 12 quarters of growth (revenue growth +5.8% latest, profit growth +10.0% latest, eps growth −6.9% latest) plus the ROCE curve, classified by deterministic rules — a trajectory read, not a buy or sell call — as of 29 July 2026.
Is Kadant Inc. in an uptrend?
It is stalling — the price is topping out (week 3 of stage 3), trading +3.1% versus its 200-day average and at 68% of its 52-week range. Price stages cycle base → advance → top → decline, and the stage names where this stock sits in that cycle — as of 29 July 2026.
Is Kadant Inc. beating the market?
On recent form, yes — Kadant Inc. has been ahead of the S&P 500 on a trailing-13-week view for 1 straight week, the same metric the week-by-week ribbon on this page draws. Separately, on the cumulative view: over the last 10.1 years the stock moved +494% against the S&P 500's +248% — ahead of the index over the full window. — as of 29 July 2026.
Will Kadant Inc.'s stock price go up?
This page publishes no price forecast for Kadant Inc. What it measures instead: the stock price is $315, the price is topping out 3 weeks in. Its P/E of 35.9× sits at the 81st percentile of its own 4-year range. Direction is not something this site claims to know. — as of 29 July 2026.
Is the market betting against Kadant Inc.?
Somewhat — short interest is 9.7% of Kadant Inc.'s tradable float, about 7.5 days to cover at typical volumes. A moderate reading: some money is positioned against it. With no quarter-by-quarter holder register here, short interest is the cleanest crowd read we hold — as of 29 July 2026.
Does Kadant Inc. have too much debt?
It is moderate — Kadant Inc.'s debt-to-equity is 0.36. A year-by-year borrowings ladder is not in our numbers for this stock, so the latest reading is the cleanest hold. Read the returns on this page with that leverage in mind — as of 29 July 2026.
What is Kadant Inc.'s capex?
Kadant Inc. spent $0.0 B on capital expenditure over the last 3 fiscal years, a figure derived from the change in fixed assets plus depreciation. In FY26 alone that was $0.0 B. — as of 29 July 2026.
What is Kadant Inc.'s cash flow?
Kadant Inc. generated $0.2 B of operating cash flow in FY26 and $0.1 B of free cash flow after $0.0 B of capital spending. Reported profit that year was $0.1 B, so operating cash ran ahead of profit. — as of 29 July 2026.
Is Kadant Inc.'s profit real cash?
Yes — over the last 3 fiscal years, 152% of Kadant Inc.'s reported profit arrived as operating cash. In FY26, operating cash was $0.2 B against reported profit of $0.1 B. The cash then goes mostly into building capacity. Cash-flow resolution is annual — as of 29 July 2026.
How financially safe is Kadant Inc.?
On the balance sheet, the Z-score reads 5.09 — above roughly 3 is safe, below roughly 1.8 is the distress zone. That sits well clear of trouble. — as of 29 July 2026.
Where is Kadant Inc. in its business cycle?
Kadant Inc.'s FY26 operating margin was 15.2%, against a 5-year band of 15.2%–18.9%: the low end of its own band, which is where recoveries start when they come. The latest quarter ran 14.3%. Profitability versus a company's own long band is the cleanest cycle clock this page holds — as of 29 July 2026.
What could break the Kadant Inc. story?
The sharpest disagreement: the engine is strong, but at the 81st percentile of its own range you are paying full price for it. Mechanically, two Friday closes in a row below the 200-day average would end the price trend — that is the exit rule this page tracks — as of 29 July 2026.
Is Kadant Inc. a stock worth studying right now?
This is not investment advice. The machine read: Kadant Inc. is strength at full price. The numbers are improving — and a P/E at the 81st percentile of its own range says the market knows. The sharpest open question: whether the earnings grow into the multiple. Every number on this page is drawn deterministically from the raw series, with no forecasts and no price opinions — as of 29 July 2026.