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KAKAI

Kadant Inc.

Hot onWhy it's trendingX mentions rising faster than the marketBacked by solid revenue growthPrice and volume picking up
$KAI·$4.0B·Industrial - Machinery·Industrials
$334.13-0.9%YTD+17.1%1Y+3.6%
Mentions · last 7 days
2026-07-30: 4 posts2026-07-31: 1 posts2026-08-01: 3 posts2026-08-02: 1 posts2026-08-03: 4 posts2026-08-04: 11 posts2026-08-05: 16 posts40
Price updated 12m ago·X counts updated 21h ago
KAKAI
$KAIKadant Inc.
$334.13-0.89%40 posts
AI analysisFundamentalsVoices on X
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AI verdict & sentimentAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Top X posts

Today's AI verdict on what's driving $KAI, plus how loud the X conversation is and which way it's leaning.

AI analysis

TickerTalks’ read on the fundamentals and what’s driving the move.

Proven numbersAcceleratingAI verdict · as of 2026-08-05

The move is getting stronger, with heavier trading behind it.

The Kadant industrial-machinery business up 4% t12m — Q2 EPS beat by 16%, revenue +23% YoY, at 80% of range.

Kadant is a mid-cap ($4.0B mcap) global industrial-machinery business with Flow Control, Industrial Processing, and Material Handling segments — a business up 4% t12m as the multi-quarter industrial-cycle recovery combined with the Aug 4 Q2 print that materially beat expectations reset the multi-year compounder trajectory to 80% of range.

  • The Q2 print was decisive: EPS of $3.42 vs $2.94 estimate (16.3% beat), revenue of $312.9M vs $299.2M estimate (+22.6% YoY), gross margin at 43.8%, operating margin at 16.3%, and the four-quarter cadence of 4-35% EPS surprises reflects sustained sell-side underestimation of the industrial-cycle recovery pace.
  • The financial profile is genuinely differentiated for industrial machinery: TTM P/E of 36.0x, ROIC of 7.2%, ROE of 11.4%, gross margin of 44.4%, operating margin of 15.0%, FCF yield of 3.9%, D/E of 0 (essentially unlevered) — a business generating solid returns on capital with an un-levered balance sheet, which supports the multi-year compounder framing.
  • The May 21 authorized share repurchase is the specific capital-return signal — combined with the June 26 VP $451K insider sale (routine post-vesting), management is signaling confidence in the specific multi-year trajectory rather than distress.
  • The FY26 sell-side EPS estimate of $9.19 rising to $12.42 in FY27 reflects continued high-single-digit earnings growth from the compound of industrial-cycle normalization and specific product-market expansion — the current 36.0x TTM multiple sits inside the FY27 earnings trajectory.

The Oct 27 Q3 print is next — industrial-machinery order-book trajectory, segment mix commentary, and specific FY26 outlook. Continued industrial-cycle strength extends the recent Q2 breakout; a soft print at 80% of range invites mean-reversion.

What to watch: The Oct 27 Q3 print — industrial-machinery order-book trajectory, segment mix commentary, and specific FY26 outlook.

On the calendar: 2026-10-27 — Q3 earnings

no sentiment available

X sentiment

What the X crowd is saying right now — descriptive, summarised from the day’s posts.

Bullish sentiment7 posts analyzed · as of 2026-08-05

KAI chatter is a small-sample crypto token launch on Base with a heavily promotional tone, teasing 'Agentic Finance' AI agents, live-stream token launch on O1 Exchange, and dev doxxing during the event. Posts frame KAI as the 'core infrastructure token' powering AI agents with 20% revenue sharing back to the ecosystem, and a Printerrr DCA-automation agent already live. The dominant tweet count is straight token-launch hype: 'will run to millions on Base'.

Read the AI verdict + X sentiment for $KAI

  • One-line verdict on what's driving the move — fundamentals, momentum, both, or an event
  • Next dated catalyst when there is one (earnings, deal closing, activist clock)
  • X crowd read with bullish/bearish call + post volume
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What it does

Plain-English summary of the business — what they sell and how they make money.

Industrial process equipment maker for the paper and packaging industry, specializing in fluid handling, fiber preparation, and web doctoring systems.

Industry overviewAI analysisGenerated by AI from underlying data

Where Industrial - Machinery sits in its cycle right now — and what that implies for $KAI.

Industrial - Machinery · Industrials

No material change from last week — electrical infrastructure for AI power density and robotic warehouse/manufacturing automation are pulling order books in different directions.

Industry benchmark

33-name peer basket
+25.0%YTD
+52.4%1Y

Fundamentals & catalyst

Profitability, valuation, and the next earnings event — at a glance, with rule-of-thumb signals.

Key ratios

P/E
36.0How much investors are paying per dollar of profit the company actually earned in the last 12 months. Lower means the stock looks cheaper relative to earnings.~15–25 is typical for the S&P 500; high-growth names trade 30+; hyper-growth or speculative can be 100+ or negative.
ROIC
7.2%What percentage return the business earns on every dollar of capital (equity + debt) deployed in operations. The cleanest measure of business quality.Above ~15% is high-quality; consistently above 25% suggests a real moat. Below the company's cost of capital is value-destroying.
Op margin
15.0%Operating profit (after sales, marketing, R&D, and overhead but before interest and taxes) as a percentage of revenue. The clearest view of how well the underlying business is run.Mature business above 20% is healthy; software businesses can run 30%+; commodity / retail businesses operate in single digits.
FCF yield
3.9%Free cash flow (operating cash flow minus capex) divided by the company's market cap. The cash-on-cash return you'd get owning the whole business at today's price.Above ~5% is attractive; below ~2% means you're paying up for growth. Capital-light businesses (software) run higher than capital-heavy ones (utilities).
P/S
3.4Same idea as P/E but per dollar of revenue. Useful for companies that aren't profitable yet, where P/E is meaningless.Under ~2 is cheap; software / SaaS often runs 8–15; well above 20 implies the market is pricing in very high future growth.
ROE
11.4%Net income as a percentage of shareholders' equity. Similar to ROIC but counts only the equity side.Above 20% is strong, but can be inflated by leverage — a heavily indebted company can show high ROE with weak underlying ROIC.
Gross margin
44.4%Revenue minus the direct cost of producing what was sold, as a percentage of revenue. The first read on whether the product is structurally profitable.Software / SaaS is typically 70%+; consumer goods 30–50%; commodity / hardware businesses can be under 20%.
D/E
0.0Total debt divided by shareholders' equity. Measures how much the business runs on borrowed money versus owner capital.Under 1 is conservative; 1–2 is typical for mature businesses; over 2 is leveraged and more sensitive to interest rates.

Past earnings

QuarterReportedActualEstimateSurprise
Q2 2026Aug 4, 2026$3.42$2.94+16.3%
Q1 2026May 5, 2026$2.84$2.11+34.6%
Q4 2025Feb 18, 2026$2.27$2.19+3.7%
Q3 2025Oct 28, 2025$2.59$2.18+18.8%
Next earningsTue, Nov 3·consensus EPS $3.47

Quarterly trend

QuarterRevenueYoYGrossOpEPSFCF
Q2 FY26$312.9M+22.6%43.8%16.3%$2.75—
Q1 FY26$281.5M+17.7%45.0%14.2%$2.16$18.7M
Q4 FY25$286.2M+10.9%43.9%13.9%$2.04$54.7M
Q3 FY25$271.6M-0.0%45.2%15.7%$2.35$44.1M

Forward consensus

3-year forecast · up to 3 analysts
FYRevenueRangeEPSRangeAnalysts
FY26$1.0B$1.0B – $1.1B$9.19$9.10 – $9.253
FY27$1.2B$1.2B – $1.2B$12.42$12.32 – $12.633
FY28$1.3B$1.2B – $1.3B$14.19$13.70 – $14.403

Setup & momentum

Volume, range, and moving-average position — the technical setup driving short-term moves.

Right now

Vol vs 30dToday's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.2.0×Today's traded share volume divided by the average over the prior 30 trading days. ≥3× signals unusual interest; below 1× is quiet.
52w rangeWhere the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.82%Where the latest close sits between the 52-week low (0%) and high (100%). Above 80% is extended; below 30% is basing or in a downtrend.
vs 50d MALatest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.+9.6%Latest close vs the 50-day simple moving average. Positive = short-term trend is up.
vs 200d MALatest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.+10.0%Latest close vs the 200-day simple moving average. Positive = long-term trend is up.

Float & profile

FloatLow float · 11.7M shFree-float shares — the slice of issued stock actually available to trade. Lower buckets squeeze harder on a catalyst.Traded today2.3% of floatToday's volume as a percent of the free float. Above 5% on a single day is unusually high turnover for the available share count.

Insider activity

Recent open-market buys and sells by officers and directors — flagged when multiple insiders cluster.

Recent transactions

SellMay 27Stacy D. KrauseSVP, GC and Secretary1.2K sh$410KSellMay 18Blanchard Thomas AndrewPresident1.4K sh$451K
+ 20 other (12 exempts · 5 awards · 2 inkinds · 1 gift) in window

See when $KAI insiders are putting their own money in

  • Real-time open-market buys and sells from Form 4 filings
  • Cluster-buy detection when multiple insiders pile in at once
  • 30 / 60 / 180-day windows so you can spot building conviction
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SEC filings

Material 8-K, 13D, S-3, and 424B5 events from the last 180 days — the filings that actually move the price.

Recent material filings

8-KPress release / Reg FDAug 48-K — Item 2.02: Earnings release · Item 7.01: Press release / Reg FD
AI summary

KAI reported financial results for quarter. Full results are disclosed in a press release filed as Exhibit 99.1. Item 2.02 mandates simultaneous disclosure of material earnings data, ensuring all investors receive results at the same time. Investors should review the attached exhibit for complete financial figures and any forward guidance from KAI management.

8-KShareholder voteMay 268-K — Item 5.07: Shareholder vote
8-KPress release / Reg FDMay 58-K — Item 2.02: Earnings release · Item 7.01: Press release / Reg FD
8-KPress release / Reg FDApr 308-K — Item 7.01: Press release / Reg FD · Item 8.01: Other event
8-KPress release / Reg FDFeb 238-K — Item 2.02: Earnings release · Item 7.01: Press release / Reg FD
8-KPress release / Reg FDFeb 188-K — Item 2.02: Earnings release · Item 7.01: Press release / Reg FD
+ 12 other (6 13Gs · 2 proxys · 1 SD · 1 10-Q) in window

Recent news

Latest headlines from major outlets, sourced and timestamped — context for whatever just moved.

Kadant Inc. (KAI) Q2 2026 Earnings Call Transcriptseekingalpha.com·1d agoAmundi Purchases 14,760 Shares of Kadant Inc $KAIdefenseworld.net·2d agoKadant (KAI) Surpasses Q2 Earnings and Revenue Estimateszacks.com·2d agoKadant Reports Second Quarter 2026 Resultsglobenewswire.com·2d agoKadant to Hold Earnings Conference Call on Wednesday, August 5, 2026globenewswire.com·7d ago

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