KAIKAIIndustrials · Specialty Industrial Machinery

KAI Stock Forecast: Kadant Inc. Price Predictions for 2026-2027

Last close, 13 Nov 2026
$294
−0.47% on the day

The 4 Wall Street analysts covering Kadant Inc. hold a median 12-month price target of $358 — +21.6% from the last close. Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model, run across ~4,600 US stocks, ranks it 57 of 100 as at 14 Nov 2026 — in the upper half.

Market cap
$3.5B
Ticker Nerd rank
57/ 100
Median analyst target
$358
Analysts covering
4
Revenue$312.9M+22.6% y/y
Operating income$50.9M
Net income$32.8M
Free cash flow$42.6M
Quarterly, 8 quarters to 30 June 2026 · latest quarter's figure shown
Total return, dividends reinvested
1W
+0.4%
1M
+12.6%
YTD
+3.6%
1Y
+12.7%
From 52W high
−15.0%
From 52W low
+19.4%
$246
$346
52-week range, adjusted closes · the dot is the last close
Ticker Nerd rank

KAI stock analysis: one number for the whole business

Consensus tells you what everyone already believes. The model scores Kadant Inc. on its factor families — the same systematic rank behind the Ticker Nerd portfolio.

Where the model ranks itAs at 14 Nov 2026
57/ 100

Percentile across ~4,600 US stocks on Ticker Nerd’s systematic factor model. Higher is better. How the model is built and tested

Growth
79
Quality
76
Revisions
73
Value
64
Volatility
44
Momentum
43
Accruals
36
Issuance
31
Size
28

Growth (79): Sales and profits are climbing, and climbing faster than before.

Issuance (31): The company has been issuing shares or taking on financing, diluting existing holders.

Size (28): Larger than most of the companies we track — more scrutinised, less often mispriced.

Built and run by Aslam Ghouse, an ex-Goldman Sachs systematic trader with 15+ years in markets.

Wall Street

KAI stock forecast 2026-2027: analyst price targets & predictions

The bullish and bearish analyst opinions on KAI, reported as data — targets and ratings, the market's view beside the model's.

Share price and the analyst range, 12 monthsAdjusted close, US dollars
$250$300$350$400Jan 26Apr 26Jul 26Oct 26KAIHigh $380Median $358Low $335

Price targets and ratings are third-party analyst estimates, reported here as data. They are not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Data provided by Twelve Data

What Wall Street says4 analysts
2 Buy2 Hold0 Sell
Low $335Median $358High $380

The green dot is the last close — the median target sits +21.6% from it.

Recent analyst actionsNewest first
DateFirmActionRatingTarget
6 Aug 2026DA DavidsonMaintainsNeutral$306 → $335
4 May 2026Barrington ResearchMaintainsOutperform—
4 May 2026Barrington ResearchMaintainsOutperform$380
24 Feb 2026Barrington ResearchMaintainsOutperform—
19 Feb 2026Barrington ResearchMaintainsOutperform—
18 Feb 2026Barrington ResearchMaintainsOutperform—
9 Feb 2026DA DavidsonMaintainsNeutral—
4 Feb 2026DA DavidsonMaintainsNeutral—
3 Feb 2026Barrington ResearchMaintainsOutperform—
30 Oct 2025Barrington ResearchMaintainsOutperform—
29 Oct 2025Barrington ResearchMaintainsOutperform—
27 Oct 2025Barrington ResearchMaintainsOutperform—
10 Oct 2025Barrington ResearchMaintainsOutperform—
23 Sept 2025Barrington ResearchMaintainsOutperform—
4 Aug 2025DA DavidsonMaintainsNeutral—
30 July 2025Barrington ResearchReiteratesOutperform—
29 July 2025Barrington ResearchMaintainsOutperform—
1 May 2025Barrington ResearchMaintainsOutperform—
1 May 2025DA DavidsonMaintainsNeutral—
30 Apr 2025Barrington ResearchMaintainsOutperform—

Price targets and ratings are third-party analyst estimates, reported here as data. They are not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Market Radar

This page is one stock. Monday covers all of them.

KAI appears in the Radar on the weeks it earns a place.

  • Market Radar, every Monday: the week's biggest rank moves across ~4,600 US stocks, and the reason for each.
  • The AI build-out map, free: every AI company we track on one page, with the model's Top picks in all four parts.

Free. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy

The AI build-out map
PDF
  • AI cloud capacity

    MSFTAMZNGOOGLORCL

  • AI chips

    NVDAAVGOAMDMU

  • AI networking and servers

    ANETDELLLITECRDO

  • Data centre power

    VRTCEGGEVVST

Performance

KAI vs the S&P 500

Both lines are total return — dividends reinvested — so the comparison is honest on both sides.

Over the twelve months to 13 Nov 2026, Kadant Inc. returned +12.7% against +13.5% for the S&P 500, dividends included.

KAI vs S&P 500, last 12 monthsTotal return, rebased to 100
90100110120130Jan 26Apr 26Jul 26Oct 26KAIS&P 500

Download this chart as an image — free to reuse; link this page as the source.

Data provided by Twelve Data

Estimates

KAI analyst estimate revisions

Not the forecast itself — the direction analysts are revising it. Revision direction is one of the model's factor families.

Which way the estimates are movingThis fiscal year
EPS revision, 90 days
+6.2%
Analysts raising
3
Analysts cutting
1
Fundamentals

Kadant Inc. (KAI) financial data

A margin means little on its own. Each bar marks where the figure sits across the whole US universe we score.

Valuation
Trailing P/E
29.7×

Cheaper than 25% of US stocks

Price / sales
2.9×

Cheaper than 40% of US stocks

Price / book
3.3×

Cheaper than 28% of US stocks

EV / EBITDA
15.0×

Cheaper than 23% of US stocks

Growth & margins
Revenue growth (YoY)
15.3%

Higher than 64% of US stocks

Earnings growth (YoY)
26.5%

Higher than 64% of US stocks

Gross margin
43.8%

Higher than 54% of US stocks

Operating margin
16.2%

Higher than 76% of US stocks

Net margin
9.8%

Higher than 69% of US stocks

Returns & dividend
Return on equity
11.7%

Higher than 67% of US stocks

Return on assets
7.1%

Higher than 85% of US stocks

Dividend yield
0.5%

Higher than 66% of US dividend payers

Bars mark the percentile across the ~4,600 US stocks Ticker Nerd covers, among those reporting the figure.

Key statistics

Kadant Inc. (KAI) statistics: revenue, profit & scale

The headline figures, each with its date. Every row carries its own link — cite it straight from here.

  • Kadant Inc. has a market value of $3.5B and an enterprise value of $3.8B.

  • Revenue in the twelve months to 30 June 2026: $1.2B. The latest quarter grew 15.3% year on year.

  • Net income over the same four quarters: $111.3M, a 9.7% net margin.

  • Diluted earnings per share, trailing twelve months: $9.30.

  • Free cash flow in the twelve months to 30 June 2026: $160.0M.

  • Kadant Inc. spent $16.3M on dividends in the twelve months to 30 June 2026.

  • Shares outstanding: 11.8M.

  • Trailing P/E: 29.7×; forward P/E: 21.8× — the forward figure prices analyst consensus estimates, not reported earnings.

  • Forward dividend yield: 0.49%, paying out 14% of earnings.

  • Kadant Inc. employs 4,000 people — $288K of revenue per employee.

Statement figures: company filings via Twelve Data, four quarters to 30 June 2026 · market figures as at 14 Nov 2026

Data provided by Twelve Data

Peers

KAI vs competitors

The nearest names by industry and size, scored by the same model — like for like.

Its peer group, ranked by the same modelSpecialty Industrial Machinery
CompanyMarket capTKN rank
KAIKadant Inc.$3.5B57
MWAMueller Water Products, Inc.$3.8B75
SXIStandex International Corp.$2.9B82
FELEFranklin Electric Co., Inc.$4.4B69
MIRMirion Technologies, Inc.$4.4B50
XEX-Energy, Inc.$4.5B0
CSWCSW Industrials, Inc.$4.6B42

Look up any of the roughly 4,600 stocks we score.

The rank is the raw material. Whether the rules would actually own Kadant Inc. — and when they’d sell — is the membership. See the Ticker Nerd 20 →

News

Latest KAI news & analysis

All You Need to Know About Kadant (KAI) Rating Upgrade to Buy

Zacks Investment Research · 10 Nov 2026positive

Kadant (KAI) was upgraded to Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), reflecting increased optimism about its earnings prospects. The source says this might drive the stock higher in the near term.

Why it matters — KAI watchers may note the upgrade as a sign of growing optimism about the company's earnings outlook.

Kadant Q3 Earnings Call Highlights

MarketBeat · 7 Nov 2026positive

Kadant reported record third-quarter revenue and adjusted earnings, with aftermarket parts sales and acquisitions helping offset slower demand for large capital equipment projects. The company also raised its full-year adjusted earnings outlook.

Why it matters — The results highlight how aftermarket sales and acquisitions supported performance amid a slower capital equipment market, alongside a higher earnings outlook.

Kadant Inc. (KAI) Q3 2026 Earnings Call Transcript

Seeking Alpha · 4 Nov 2026neutral

Kadant held its Q3 2026 earnings call on November 4, 2026, with CEO Jeffrey Powell and CFO Michael McKenney participating. The excerpt provides no discussion of results or business developments.

Why it matters — The call is a source of information for KAI watchers, but the supplied excerpt does not include details needed to assess the quarter.

Kadant (KAI) Beats Q3 Earnings and Revenue Estimates

Zacks Investment Research · 4 Nov 2026positive

Kadant reported third-quarter earnings of $3.64 per share, above the Zacks consensus estimate of $3. Earnings were $2.59 per share in the year-ago quarter.

Why it matters — The report gives KAI watchers a comparison of quarterly earnings with analyst estimates and the prior-year period.

Compared to Estimates, Kadant (KAI) Q3 Earnings: A Look at Key Metrics

Zacks Investment Research · 4 Nov 2026neutral

The excerpt says Kadant’s Q3 headline results for the quarter ended September 2026 can be assessed alongside key metrics, Wall Street estimates, and year-ago actuals. It does not provide the figures or indicate whether results exceeded or missed expectations.

Why it matters — Comparing the reported metrics with estimates and prior-year results can help KAI watchers evaluate quarterly performance, though the excerpt gives no specific comparison data.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions about KAI stock

What is the KAI stock price forecast for 2026-2027?

The 4 Wall Street analysts covering Kadant Inc. have a median 12-month price target of $358, with estimates ranging from $335 to $380. These are third-party analyst estimates, not Ticker Nerd forecasts, and they are frequently wrong.

Is KAI stock a buy right now?

Of the 4 analysts covering Kadant Inc., 2 rate it a Buy, 2 a Hold and 0 a Sell. Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model ranks Kadant Inc. 57 out of 100 across roughly 4,600 US stocks as at 14 Nov 2026. None of this is personal advice — it does not consider your circumstances.

How does Ticker Nerd's model rank KAI?

As at 14 Nov 2026, Kadant Inc. ranks 57 out of 100 on Ticker Nerd's systematic factor model — a percentile across roughly 4,600 US stocks, built from its factor families. Its strongest factor family is Growth (79 of 100).

Will KAI stock go up?

No one can know that. What the data says: the median 12-month target from 4 analysts implies +21.6% from the last close, and Ticker Nerd's factor model ranks Kadant Inc. 57 out of 100 as at 14 Nov 2026. Analyst targets are third-party estimates and frequently wrong; none of this is personal advice.

What is the KAI stock forecast for 2030?

No analyst covering Kadant Inc. publishes a 2030 price target — Wall Street targets run 12 to 18 months out. Sites quoting a 2030 price for KAI are extrapolating price history, which says nothing about the business. The furthest attributed numbers are the current analyst targets: $335 to $380 over the next 12 months.

How has KAI stock performed over the past year?

Kadant Inc. returned +12.7% over the 12 months to 13 Nov 2026, with dividends reinvested. Past performance does not indicate future returns.

What does Kadant Inc. do?

Kadant Inc. is an industrial technology company that provides engineered systems, consumables, and aftermarket parts for process industries worldwide.

What is the latest news on KAI?

The most recent item we track (Zacks Investment Research, 10 Nov 2026): "All You Need to Know About Kadant (KAI) Rating Upgrade to Buy". Kadant (KAI) was upgraded to Zacks Rank #2 (Buy), reflecting increased optimism about its earnings prospects. The source says this might drive the stock higher in the near term.

Company

About Kadant Inc.

Kadant Inc. is an industrial technology company that provides engineered systems, consumables, and aftermarket parts for process industries worldwide. The company serves markets such as papermaking, paper recycling, tissue, wood processing, recycling, and bulk material handling through products that support fluid control, stock preparation, cleaning, filtration, and material flow. Kadant’s portfolio is organized around Flow Control, Industrial Processing, and Material Handling, reflecting its role in helping customers improve process efficiency, resource use, and equipment uptime. Based in Westford, Massachusetts, Kadant operates globally with manufacturing, sales, and service capabilities across multiple regions. Its products are used by manufacturers that depend on continuous, high-performance processing systems to manage fiber, water, energy, and materials effectively.

CEO Mr. Jeffrey L. Powell · 4,000 employees · United States · https://kadant.com