Stocktoria
KADANT INC KAI
KADANT INC (KAI) earns a Piotroski F-score of 4/9 (mixed financial health), with an Altman Z″ in the safe zone. It pays a dividend yielding 0.41% (safety: safe). FY2026 revenue was $1.1B at a 9.7% net margin.
Quality score trend · recomputed for each fiscal year
Each year's score is computed from that year's filing — a rising Piotroski F or Altman Z″ means improving financial health, a fall is worth a look.
Analyst price target
Recent analyst actions
| Date | Firm | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| 2026-05-04 | Barrington Research | Outperform (main) |
| 2026-02-24 | Barrington Research | Outperform (main) |
| 2026-02-19 | Barrington Research | Outperform (main) |
| 2026-02-18 | Barrington Research | Outperform (main) |
| 2026-02-09 | DA Davidson | Neutral (main) |
| 2026-02-04 | DA Davidson | Neutral (main) |
Wall Street analyst consensus — a sentiment gauge, not our scoring.
Smart money · insiders, last 12 months
Open-market insider purchases minus sells (SEC Form 4) — real buying with their own money is a bullish “smart money” signal; grants and option exercises are excluded.
How it ranks in Manufacturing · percentile among 1957 companies
Percentile vs other Manufacturing companies we cover — e.g. “stronger than 90%” means only 10% score higher on that measure.
Piotroski F breakdown · 4/9 tests passed
- Positive return on assets
- Positive operating cash flow
- Rising ROA
- Cash flow exceeds net income
- Lower long-term debt
- Rising current ratio
- No share dilution
- Rising gross margin
- Rising asset turnover
Altman Z″ components · safe zone
| Component | Value |
|---|---|
| Working capital / assets | 0.183 |
| Retained earnings / assets | 0.552 |
| EBIT / assets | 0.092 |
| Equity / liabilities | 1.374 |
Sector peers · similar-size Manufacturing companies compare side by side →
| Ticker | Company | Piotroski F | Altman Z″ | P / E | Revenue growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| KAI | KADANT INC | 4/9 | 5.06 | 37.6 | -0.1% |
| JBTM | JBT MAREL Corp | 3/9 | 1.96 | — | +121.3% |
| NVT | nVent Electric plc | 6/9 | 3.27 | 37.1 | +29.5% |
| PNR | PENTAIR plc | 7/9 | 4.09 | 18.9 | +2.3% |
| VFS | VinFast Auto Ltd. | 4/9 | -13.01 | — | +57.9% |
| TM | TOYOTA MOTOR CORP/ | 7/9 | 2.55 | — | -1% |
| HMC | HONDA MOTOR CO LTD | 6/9 | 2.79 | — | +19.9% |
About KADANT INC
Kadant Inc. supplies technologies and engineered systems worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Flow Control, Industrial Processing, and Material Handling. The Flow Control segment develops, manufactures, and markets fluid-handling systems, equipment, and integrated technologies, such as rotary joints, syphons, Turbulator bars, expansion joints, and engineered steam and condensate systems, as well as doctor systems and holders, doctor blades, cleaning showers and fabric-conditioning systems, forming systems and wear surfaces, and water-filtration systems. The Industrial Processing segment provides ring and rotary debarkers, stranders, chippers, engineered knife systems, and industrial automation and control products. This segment also offers recycling and approach flow systems, virgin pulping process equipment, boiler cleaning technologies, and single and double-screw presses. The Material Handling segment provides vibratory and conveying equipment; individual components and equipment for baling recyclable and waste materials; and fiber-based products. It sells its products and services through direct sales, independent sales agents, and distributors. The company was formerly known as Thermo Fibertek, Inc. and changed its name to Kadant Inc. in July 2001. Kadant Inc. was incorporated in 1991 and is headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts.
FAQ
Is KAI financially healthy?
KADANT INC's Piotroski F-score is 4/9 (8–9 is excellent, 0–3 weak), and its Altman Z″ distress score is in the safe zone.
Does KAI pay a dividend, and is it safe?
Yes. KADANT INC pays a dividend yielding about 0.41% with a 15.5% payout ratio, rated “safe” for safety.
How profitable is KAI?
In FY2026, KADANT INC had a net margin of 9.7% and a return on equity of 10.3%.
Is KAI overvalued or undervalued?
KADANT INC trades at about 38.6× trailing earnings — above its 10-year norm (10-year range 16.1×–39.3×, median 29.0×). Stocktoria reports the data, not buy/sell advice.
What is the analyst price target for KAI?
The average Wall-Street price target for KADANT INC is $342.00, about 2.4% above the recent price, from 3 analysts.
Is KAI a good stock to buy?
Stocktoria doesn't give buy or sell advice, but here is the data on KADANT INC: a Piotroski F-score of 4/9, an Altman Z″ in the safe zone, a P/E of about 37.6×, a dividend yield of 0.41%. Weigh these quality and valuation signals against your own goals.
Computed from company filings · US · as of 2026-01-03. Facts plus Stocktoria's own computed scores — not investment advice.