B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Decreases Holdings in Kadant Inc. (NYSE:KAI)

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lessened its position in Kadant Inc. (NYSE:KAI - Free Report) by 18.4% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 14,113 shares of the industrial products company's stock after selling 3,186 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG owned approximately 0.12% of Kadant worth $4,869,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently modified their holdings of KAI. Alliancebernstein L.P. grew its position in Kadant by 13.6% in the 4th quarter. Alliancebernstein L.P. now owns 14,051 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $4,847,000 after purchasing an additional 1,678 shares during the period. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Kadant by 37.5% in the fourth quarter. O Shaughnessy Asset Management LLC now owns 1,114 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $384,000 after buying an additional 304 shares in the last quarter. Schroder Investment Management Group acquired a new position in shares of Kadant during the fourth quarter valued at about $631,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of Kadant during the fourth quarter worth about $46,529,000. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Kadant by 29.3% in the 4th quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 83,717 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $28,882,000 after acquiring an additional 18,995 shares during the last quarter. Institutional investors own 96.13% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Separately, Barrington Research reiterated an "outperform" rating and set a $410.00 price target on shares of Kadant in a research note on Friday, February 14th.

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Kadant Stock Down 4.3 %

NYSE:KAI traded down $13.82 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $304.54. 179,364 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 102,698. The company has a quick ratio of 1.46, a current ratio of 2.29 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.37. The company has a market cap of $3.59 billion, a PE ratio of 32.12 and a beta of 1.24. The firm's 50-day simple moving average is $362.21 and its 200-day simple moving average is $360.41. Kadant Inc. has a one year low of $249.51 and a one year high of $429.95.

Kadant (NYSE:KAI - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 12th. The industrial products company reported $2.25 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $2.08 by $0.17. Kadant had a net margin of 10.59% and a return on equity of 14.66%. Equities analysts predict that Kadant Inc. will post 9.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Kadant Increases Dividend

The firm also recently declared a quarterly dividend, which will be paid on Wednesday, May 7th. Investors of record on Wednesday, April 9th will be issued a dividend of $0.34 per share. This is a positive change from Kadant's previous quarterly dividend of $0.32. This represents a $1.36 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.45%. The ex-dividend date is Wednesday, April 9th. Kadant's dividend payout ratio (DPR) is 14.35%.

Kadant Profile

Kadant Inc supplies technologies and engineered systems worldwide. It operates in three segments: Flow Control, Industrial Processing, and Material Handling. The Flow Control segment develops, manufactures, and markets fluid-handling systems and equipment, such as rotary joints, syphons, turbulator bars, expansion joints, and engineered steam and condensate systems; and doctoring, cleaning, and filtration systems and related consumables consisting of doctor systems and holders, doctor blades, cleaning shower and fabric-conditioning systems, forming systems and wear surfaces, and water-filtration systems.