Kadant Reports Second Quarter 2026 Results

GlobeNewswire | Kadant Inc
Today at 8:37pm UTC

WESTFORD, Mass., Aug. 04, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Kadant Inc. (NYSE: KAI) reported its financial results for the second quarter ended July 4, 2026.

Second Quarter Financial Highlights

  • Bookings increased 16% to $312 million
  • Revenue increased 23% to a record $313 million
  • Gross margin decreased 210 basis points to 43.8%
  • Net income increased 24% to $32 million
  • GAAP EPS increased 24% to $2.75  
  • Adjusted EPS increased 26% to a record $3.42
  • Adjusted EBITDA increased 30% to a record $68 million and represented 21.8% of revenue
  • Operating cash flow increased 32% to $54 million
  • Backlog was $340 million

Note: Percent changes above are based on comparison to the corresponding prior year quarter. All references to earnings per share (EPS) are to our EPS as calculated on a diluted basis. Adjusted EPS, adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, free cash flow, and changes in organic revenue are non-GAAP financial measures that exclude certain items as detailed later in this press release under the heading “Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures.”

Management Commentary
"Our second-quarter results reflect solid execution across our businesses and robust demand for our aftermarket parts and services, resulting in record revenue and strong earnings growth," said Jeffrey L. Powell, president and chief executive officer of Kadant. "Although capital project timing remains challenged by customer caution and extended approval cycles, we continue to see evidence that interest in our products and technologies remains healthy. Our large installed base and disciplined operational execution enabled us to deliver excellent results in the quarter while positioning the company for meaningful upside as capital spending recovers.”

Second Quarter 2026 Compared to 2025
Revenue increased 23 percent to a record $312.9 million compared to $255.3 million in 2025. Organic revenue increased eight percent, which excludes an increase of 13 percent from acquisitions, and two percent from the favorable effect of foreign currency translation. Gross margin decreased 210 basis points to 43.8 percent, compared to 45.9 percent in 2025 due in part to an unfavorable product mix and a lower gross margin profile associated with recent acquisitions.

Net income was $32.5 million, increasing 24 percent compared to $26.2 million in 2025. GAAP EPS increased 24 percent to $2.75 compared to $2.22 in 2025 and adjusted EPS increased 26 percent to a record $3.42 compared to $2.71 in 2025. Adjusted EPS excludes intangible asset amortization expense of $0.55 and acquisition-related costs of $0.13 in 2026, and intangible asset amortization expense of $0.40 and acquisition-related costs of $0.09 in 2025.

Adjusted EBITDA increased 30 percent to a record $68.1 million and represented 21.8 percent of revenue in 2026 compared to $52.4 million and 20.5 percent of revenue in 2025. Operating cash flow increased 32 percent to $53.5 million compared to $40.5 million in 2025. Free cash flow increased 17 percent to $42.6 million compared to $36.5 million in 2025.

Bookings increased 16 percent to $312.1 million compared to $269.4 million in 2025. Organic bookings decreased one percent, which excludes increases of 15 percent from acquisitions and two percent from the favorable effect of foreign currency translation.

Summary and Outlook
“As we look ahead to the second half of the year, we are encouraged by healthy quote activity and active commercial engagement, while the primary headwinds remain customer approval cycles and geopolitical uncertainty,” continued Mr. Powell. “We recognize that the timing of capital project spending can be uneven across our end markets and geographies, and we continue to focus on disciplined execution, cash flow generation, and servicing our customers. We expect revenue of $1.190 to $1.210 billion in 2026, revised from our previous guidance of $1.178 to $1.203 billion, and GAAP EPS of $9.78 to $10.03, revised from our previous guidance of $9.80 to $10.15. We expect adjusted EPS for 2026 of $12.43 to $12.68, revised from our prior guidance of $12.33 to $12.68. Our revised adjusted EPS guidance excludes $2.65 per share of acquisition-related costs. For the third quarter of 2026, we expect revenue of $297 to $307 million, GAAP EPS of $2.28 to $2.38, and adjusted EPS of $2.90 to $3.00, which excludes $0.62 per share of acquisition-related costs.”

Conference Call
Kadant will hold a webcast with a slide presentation for investors on Wednesday, August 5, 2026, at 11:00 a.m. Eastern Time to discuss its second quarter financial performance, as well as future expectations. To listen to the call live and view the webcast, go to the “Investors” section of the Company’s website at kadant.com. Participants interested in joining the call’s live question and answer session are required to register by clicking here or selecting the Q&A link on our website to receive a dial-in number and unique PIN. It is recommended that you join the call 10 minutes prior to the start of the event. A replay of the webcast presentation will be available on our website through September 4, 2026.

Prior to the call, our earnings release and the slides used in the webcast presentation will be filed with the Securities and Exchange Commission and will be available at sec.gov. After the webcast, Kadant will post its updated general investor presentation incorporating the second quarter results on its website at kadant.com under the “Investors” section.

Use of Non-GAAP Financial Measures
In addition to the financial measures prepared in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), we use certain non-GAAP financial measures, including increases or decreases in revenue excluding the effect of acquisitions and foreign currency translation (organic revenue), adjusted operating income, adjusted net income, adjusted EPS, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin, and free cash flow.

We use organic revenue to understand our trends and to forecast and evaluate our financial performance and compare revenue to prior periods. Organic revenue excludes revenue from acquisitions for the four quarterly reporting periods following the date of the acquisition and the effect of foreign currency translation. Revenue in the second quarter of 2026 included $33.9 million from acquisitions and a favorable foreign currency translation effect of $4.1 million compared to the second quarter of 2025. Revenue in the first six months of 2026 included $67.9 million from acquisitions and a favorable foreign currency translation effect of $13.9 million compared to the first six months of 2025. Our other non-GAAP financial measures exclude amortization expense related to acquired intangible assets, profit in inventory, and backlog (collectively, purchase accounting expenses); acquisition costs; and other income or expense, as indicated. We exclude purchase accounting expenses and acquisition costs to provide a more meaningful and consistent comparison of our operating results over time and with peer companies. While we have a history of acquisition activity, such transactions do not occur on a predictable cycle, and the size and nature of these transactions will vary. We believe it is important for investors to understand that these intangible assets were recorded as part of purchase accounting and that they contribute to revenue generation. We also exclude other items as they are not indicative of our core operating results and are not comparable to other periods, which have differing levels of incremental costs, expenditures or income, or none at all. Additionally, we use free cash flow in order to provide insight on our ability to generate cash for acquisitions and debt repayments, as well as for other investing and financing activities.

We believe these non-GAAP financial measures, when taken together with the corresponding GAAP financial measures, provide meaningful supplemental information regarding our performance by excluding certain items that may not be indicative of our core business, operating results, or future outlook. We believe that the inclusion of such measures helps investors gain an understanding of our underlying operating performance and future prospects, consistent with how management measures and forecasts our performance, especially when comparing such results to previous periods or forecasts and to the performance of our competitors. Such measures are also used by us in our financial and operating decision-making and for compensation purposes. We also believe this information is responsive to investors' requests and gives them additional measures of our performance.

The non-GAAP financial measures included in this press release are not meant to be considered superior to or a substitute for the results of operations or cash flows prepared in accordance with GAAP. In addition, the non-GAAP financial measures included in this press release have limitations associated with their use as compared to the most directly comparable GAAP measures, in that they may be different from, and therefore not comparable to, similar measures used by other companies.

Second Quarter

Adjusted operating income, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted EBITDA margin exclude:

  • Pre-tax intangible asset amortization expense of $8.6 million in 2026 and $6.3 million in 2025.
  • Pre-tax profit in inventory and backlog amortization expense of $1.2 million in 2026 and $0.2 million in 2025.
  • Pre-tax acquisition costs of $0.6 million in 2026 and $0.9 million in 2025.

Adjusted net income and adjusted EPS exclude:

  • After-tax intangible asset amortization expense of $6.5 million ($8.6 million net of tax of $2.1 million) in 2026 and $4.8 million ($6.3 million net of tax of $1.5 million) in 2025.
  • After-tax profit in inventory and backlog amortization expense of $0.9 million ($1.2 million net of tax of $0.3 million) in 2026 and $0.2 million in 2025.
  • After-tax acquisition costs of $0.6 million in 2026 and $0.9 million in 2025.

Free cash flow is calculated as operating cash flow less:

  • Capital expenditures of $10.9 million in 2026 and $4.0 million in 2025.

First Six Months

Adjusted operating income, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted EBITDA margin exclude:

  • Pre-tax intangible asset amortization expense of $17.0 million in 2026 and $12.7 million in 2025.
  • Pre-tax profit in inventory and backlog amortization expense of $2.6 million in 2026 and $0.6 million in 2025.
  • Pre-tax acquisition costs of $1.3 million in 2026 and $1.2 million in 2025.

Adjusted net income and adjusted EPS exclude:

  • After-tax intangible asset amortization expense of $12.8 million ($17.0 million net of tax of $4.2 million) in 2026 and $9.5 million ($12.7 million net of tax of $3.2 million) in 2025.
  • After-tax profit in inventory and backlog amortization expense of $2.0 million ($2.6 million net of tax of $0.6 million) in 2026 and $0.5 million ($0.6 million net of tax of $0.1 million) in 2025.
  • After-tax acquisition costs of $1.3 million in 2026 and $1.2 million in 2025.

Free cash flow is calculated as operating cash flow less:

  • Capital expenditures of $14.2 million in 2026 and $7.8 million in 2025.

Reconciliations of the non-GAAP financial measures to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measures are set forth in this press release.

 
Financial Highlights (unaudited)
(In thousands, except per share amounts and percentages)
          
   Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
Consolidated Statement of Income July 4,
2026
 June 28,
2025
 July 4,
2026
 June 28,
2025
Revenue $312,875  $255,267  $594,380  $494,477 
Costs and Operating Expenses:        
 Cost of revenue  175,870   138,225   330,672   267,105 
 Selling, general and administrative expenses  81,641   73,941   164,179   145,162 
 Research and development expenses  4,484   3,724   8,540   7,247 
   261,995   215,890   503,391   419,514 
Operating Income  50,880   39,377   90,989   74,963 
Interest Income  495   439   846   956 
Interest Expense  (5,314)  (3,338)  (9,798)  (7,160)
Other Expense, Net  (32)  (17)  (45)  (33)
Income Before Provision for Income Taxes  46,029   36,461   81,992   68,726 
Provision for Income Taxes  13,182   9,822   23,324   17,650 
Net Income  32,847   26,639   58,668   51,076 
Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests  (379)  (480)  (691)  (854)
Net Income Attributable to Kadant $32,468  $26,159  $57,977  $50,222 
          
Earnings per Share Attributable to Kadant:        
 Basic $2.75  $2.22  $4.91  $4.27 
 Diluted $2.75  $2.22  $4.91  $4.26 
          
Weighted Average Shares:        
 Basic  11,808   11,776   11,801   11,768 
 Diluted  11,819   11,793   11,811   11,784 
          


        
   Three Months Ended
 Three Months Ended
Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Diluted EPS (a)July 4,
2026
 July 4,
2026
 June 28,
2025
 June 28,
2025
Net Income and Diluted EPS Attributable to Kadant, as Reported$32,468  $2.75  $26,159  $2.22 
Adjustments, Net of Tax:            
 Intangible Asset Amortization  6,460   0.55   4,767   0.40 
 Profit in Inventory and Backlog Amortization  908   0.08   170   0.01 
 Acquisition Costs  602   0.05   903   0.08 
Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Diluted EPS (a,b)$40,438  $3.42  $31,999  $2.71 
              
   Six Months Ended
 Six Months Ended
 July 4,
2026
 July 4,
2026
 June 28,
2025
 June 28,
2025
Net Income and Diluted EPS Attributable to Kadant, as Reported$57,977  $4.91  $50,222  $4.26 
Adjustments, Net of Tax:            
 Intangible Asset Amortization  12,768   1.08   9,520   0.81 
 Profit in Inventory and Backlog Amortization  1,965   0.17   466   0.04 
 Acquisition Costs  1,273   0.11   1,218   0.10 
Adjusted Net Income and Adjusted Diluted EPS (a,b)$73,983  $6.26  $61,426  $5.21 
                


                   
    Three Months Ended     Increase
Excluding Acquisitions and FX (a,c)
Revenue by Segment July 4,
2026
 June 28,
2025
 Increase 
Flow Control $100,310  $95,947  $4,363  $1,969 
Industrial Processing  143,800   95,937   47,863   12,901 
Material Handling  68,765   63,383   5,382   4,737 
    $312,875  $255,267  $57,608  $19,607 
              
Percentage of Parts and Consumables Revenue  68%  71%     
            
    Six Months Ended     Increase
Excluding Acquisitions and FX (a,c)
  July 4,
2026
 June 28,
2025
 Increase 
Flow Control $198,918  $188,388  $10,530  $3,341 
Industrial Processing  266,838   185,461   81,377   8,944 
Material Handling  128,624   120,628   7,996   5,795 
    $594,380  $494,477  $99,903  $18,080 
              
Percentage of Parts and Consumables Revenue  71%  73%     
            
    Three Months Ended   Increase (Decrease)
Excluding Acquisitions and FX (c)
Bookings by Segment July 4,
2026
 June 28,
2025
 Increase 
Flow Control $102,828  $93,055  $9,773  $7,352 
Industrial Processing  135,943   105,374   30,569   (11,070)
Material Handling  73,314   70,946   2,368   1,421 
    $312,085  $269,375  $42,710  $(2,297)
              
Percentage of Parts and Consumables Bookings  72%  67%     
            
    Six Months Ended     Increase Excluding Acquisitions and FX (c)
  July 4,
2026
 June 28,
2025
 Increase 
Flow Control $214,374  $193,042  $21,332  $13,744 
Industrial Processing  280,445   197,740   82,705   9,952 
Material Handling  138,061   134,811   3,250   364 
    $632,880  $525,593  $107,287  $24,060 
              
Percentage of Parts and Consumables Bookings  71%  70%     
            
    Three Months Ended
 Six Months Ended
Additional Segment Information July 4,
2026
 June 28,
2025
 July 4,
2026
 June 28,
2025
Gross Margin:                
  Flow Control  52.5%  53.8%  52.6%  53.6%
  Industrial Processing  40.7%  42.6%  41.5%  43.3%
  Material Handling  37.6%  38.7%  37.5%  38.2%
  Consolidated  43.8%  45.9%  44.4%  46.0%
            
Operating Income:         
  Flow Control $24,764  $24,443  $48,968  $47,195 
  Industrial Processing  27,283   15,486   47,196   32,318 
  Material Handling  10,853   9,939   18,319   17,474 
  Corporate  (12,020)  (10,491)  (23,494)  (22,024)
    $50,880  $39,377  $90,989  $74,963 
            
Adjusted Operating Income (a,b,d):         
  Flow Control $26,032  $25,908  $51,506  $50,274 
  Industrial Processing  33,632   18,794   60,055   38,138 
  Material Handling  13,542   12,633   23,696   23,060 
  Corporate  (12,020)  (10,491)  (23,494)  (22,024)
    $61,186  $46,844  $111,763  $89,448 
            
Capital Expenditures:         
  Flow Control (i) $7,027  $1,380  $8,049  $2,889 
  Industrial Processing  2,366   1,595   3,229   2,920 
  Material Handling  1,482   993   2,718   1,992 
  Corporate  72      209   3 
    $10,947  $3,968  $14,205  $7,804 
            
    Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
Cash Flow and Other Data July 4,
2026
 June 28,
2025
 July 4,
2026
 June 28,
2025
Operating Cash Flow $53,510  $40,482  $75,426  $63,317 
Capital Expenditures (i)  (10,947)  (3,968)  (14,205)  (7,804)
Free Cash Flow (a) $42,563  $36,514  $61,221  $55,513 
            
Depreciation and Amortization Expense $15,544  $12,069  $30,191  $24,082 


Balance Sheet Data July 4,
2026
 January 3,
2026
Assets     
Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash $137,624  $122,681 
Accounts Receivable, Net  168,698   158,567 
Inventories  216,459   206,854 
Contract Assets  9,025   6,599 
Property, Plant, and Equipment, Net  228,772   196,656 
Intangible Assets  353,932   350,376 
Goodwill  660,907   555,621 
Other Assets  113,879   114,824 
    $1,889,296  $1,712,178 
Liabilities and Stockholders' Equity     
Accounts Payable $56,349  $53,362 
Debt Obligations  508,240   372,720 
Other Borrowings  2,392   1,781 
Other Liabilities  288,566   293,248 
 Total Liabilities  855,547   721,111 
 Stockholders' Equity  1,033,749   991,067 
    $1,889,296  $1,712,178 


    Three Months Ended Six Months Ended
Adjusted Operating Income and Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation (a) July 4,
2026
 June 28,
2025
 July 4,
2026
 June 28,
2025
Consolidated        
  Net Income Attributable to Kadant $32,468  $26,159  $57,977  $50,222 
  Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests  379   480   691   854 
  Provision for Income Taxes  13,182   9,822   23,324   17,650 
  Interest Expense, Net  4,819   2,899   8,952   6,204 
  Other Expense, Net  32   17   45   33 
  Operating Income  50,880   39,377   90,989   74,963 
  Intangible Asset Amortization Expense  8,626   6,333   17,011   12,653 
  Profit in Inventory Amortization Expense (e)  1,201   24   2,610   35 
  Backlog Amortization Expense (f)     202      581 
  Acquisition Costs  604   908   1,278   1,245 
  Indemnification Asset Provision (g)  (125)     (125)  (29)
  Adjusted Operating Income (a,b)  61,186   46,844   111,763   89,448 
  Depreciation Expense  6,918   5,534   13,180   10,848 
  Adjusted EBITDA (a) $68,104  $52,378  $124,943  $100,296 
  Adjusted EBITDA Margin (a,h)  21.8%  20.5%  21.0%  20.3%
           
Flow Control        
  Operating Income $24,764  $24,443  $48,968  $47,195 
  Intangible Asset Amortization Expense  1,268   1,226   2,538   2,440 
  Profit in Inventory Amortization Expense (e)     24      35 
  Backlog Amortization Expense (f)     184      463 
  Acquisition Costs     31      39 
  Indemnification Asset Reversal (g)          102 
  Adjusted Operating Income (a,b)  26,032   25,908   51,506   50,274 
  Depreciation Expense  1,773   1,855   3,700   3,653 
  Adjusted EBITDA (a) $27,805  $27,763  $55,206  $53,927 
  Adjusted EBITDA Margin (a,h)  27.7%  28.9%  27.8%  28.6%
           
Industrial Processing        
  Operating Income $27,283  $15,486  $47,196  $32,318 
  Intangible Asset Amortization Expense  4,669   2,436   9,096   4,814 
  Profit in Inventory Amortization Expense (e)  1,201      2,610    
  Acquisition Costs  604   872   1,278   1,212 
  Indemnification Asset Provision (g) (125)     (125)  (206)
  Adjusted Operating Income (a,b)  33,632   18,794   60,055   38,138 
  Depreciation Expense  3,899   2,468   7,009   4,815 
  Adjusted EBITDA (a) $37,531  $21,262  $67,064  $42,953 
  Adjusted EBITDA Margin (a,h)  26.1%  22.2%  25.1%  23.2%
           
Material Handling        
  Operating Income $10,853  $9,939  $18,319  $17,474 
  Intangible Asset Amortization Expense  2,689   2,671   5,377   5,399 
  Backlog Amortization Expense (f)     18      118 
  Acquisition Costs     5      (6)
  Indemnification Asset Reversal (g)          75 
  Adjusted Operating Income (a,b)  13,542   12,633   23,696   23,060 
  Depreciation Expense  1,221   1,199   2,433   2,357 
  Adjusted EBITDA (a) $14,763  $13,832  $26,129  $25,417 
  Adjusted EBITDA Margin (a,h)  21.5%  21.8%  20.3%  21.1%
           
Corporate        
  Operating Loss $(12,020) $(10,491) $(23,494) $(22,024)
  Depreciation Expense  25   12   38   23 
  EBITDA (a) $(11,995) $(10,479) $(23,456) $(22,001)


(a) Represents a non-GAAP financial measure.
   
(b) Reflects new methodology, announced on February 19, 2026, to exclude intangible asset amortization expense.
   
(c) Represents the increase (decrease) resulting from the exclusion of acquisitions and from the conversion of current period amounts reported in local currencies into U.S. dollars at the exchange rate of the prior period compared to the U.S. dollar amount reported in the prior period.
   
(d) See reconciliation to the most directly comparable GAAP financial measure under “Adjusted Operating Income and Adjusted EBITDA Reconciliation.”
   
(e) Represents amortization expense within cost of revenue associated with acquired profit in inventory.
   
(f) Represents intangible amortization expense associated with acquired backlog.
   
(g) Represents the reversal of or provision for indemnification assets related to the release of or establishment of tax reserves associated with uncertain tax positions.
   
(h) Calculated as adjusted EBITDA divided by revenue in each period.
   
(i) Includes $5.8 million paid in the second quarter of 2026 for the purchase of a previously leased manufacturing facility.
   

About Kadant 
Kadant Inc. is a global supplier of technologies and engineered systems that drive Sustainable Industrial Processing®. The Company’s products and services play an integral role in enhancing efficiency, optimizing energy utilization, and maximizing productivity in process industries. Kadant is based in Westford, Massachusetts, with approximately 4,000 employees in 22 countries worldwide. For more information, visit kadant.com.

Safe Harbor Statement
The following constitutes a “Safe Harbor” statement under the Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995: This press release contains forward-looking statements that involve a number of risks and uncertainties, including forward-looking statements about our future financial and operating performance, demand for our products, and economic and industry outlook. These forward-looking statements represent our expectations as of the date of this press release. We undertake no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events, or otherwise. These forward-looking statements are subject to known and unknown risks and uncertainties that may cause our actual results to differ materially from these forward-looking statements as a result of various important factors, including those set forth under the heading “Risk Factors” in Kadant’s Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended January 3, 2026 and subsequent filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission. These include risks and uncertainties relating to adverse changes in global and local economic conditions; the variability and difficulty in accurately predicting revenues from large capital equipment and systems projects; our acquisition strategy; levels of residential construction activity; reductions by our wood processing customers of their capital spending or production of oriented strand board; changes to the global timber supply; development and use of digital media; cyclical economic conditions affecting the global mining industry; demand for coal, including economic and environmental risks associated with coal; failure of our information systems or breaches of data security and cybersecurity incidents; implementation of our internal growth strategy; competition; our ability to successfully manage our manufacturing operations; supply chain constraints, inflationary pressure, price increases or shortages in raw materials; loss of key personnel and effective succession planning; future restructurings; protection of intellectual property; changes to tax laws and regulations; climate change; adequacy of our insurance coverage; global operations; policies of the Chinese government; the variability and uncertainties in sales of capital equipment in China; currency fluctuations; changes to government regulations and policies around the world; compliance with government regulations and policies and compliance with laws; environmental laws and regulations; environmental, health and safety laws and regulations impacting the mining industry; our debt obligations; restrictions in our credit agreement and note purchase agreement; soundness of financial institutions; fluctuations in our share price; and anti-takeover provisions.

Contacts
Investor Contact Information:
Michael McKenney, 978-776-2000
IR@kadant.com 

Media Contact Information:
Wes Martz, 978-776-2000
media@kadant.com 


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