Item 7. Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations
Management's Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations should be read together with the consolidated financial statements and related notes set forth in Item 8 , "Financial Statements and Supplementary Data." The following discussion also contains forward-looking statements, including the outlook for our business, that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. See Part I , "Forward-Looking Statements," for a discussion of the forward-looking statements contained below and Part I, Item 1A , "Risk Factors," for a discussion of certain risks that could cause our actual results to differ materially from the results anticipated in such forward-looking statements.
A detailed discussion of the year-over-year results for 2024 compared with 2023 can be found in Part II, Item 7, "Management’s Discussion and Analysis of Financial Condition and Results of Operations" of our Annual Report on Form 10-K for the fiscal year ended December 28, 2024, filed with the SEC.
Overview
Company Background
We are a global supplier of technologies and engineered systems that drive Sustainable Industrial Processing ® . Our products and services play an integral role in enhancing efficiency, optimizing energy utilization, and maximizing productivity in process industries while helping our customers advance their sustainability initiatives with products that reduce waste or generate more yield with fewer inputs, particularly fiber, energy, and water. Producing more while consuming less is a core aspect of Sustainable Industrial Processing and a major element of the strategic focus of our businesses.
Our financial results are reported in three reportable segments consisting of our Flow Control segment, Industrial Processing segment, and Material Handling segment. We have aggregated our operating segments into reportable segments where they contained similar products and economic characteristics, and shared similar types of customers, and production and distribution methods. Our Flow Control segment consists of our fluid-handling and doctoring, cleaning, & filtration operating segments and our Industrial Processing segment consists of our wood processing and fiber processing operating segments. See Note 11 , Business Segment and Geographical Information, in the accompanying consolidated financial statements for a description of and financial information on our reportable segments.
Industry and Business Overview
Our consolidated bookings increased 5% to a record $1.034 billion in 2025 compared to 2024, driven by strong demand for our parts and consumables products and contributions from our recent acquisitions. Demand for our capital equipment products in 2025 was consistent with the prior year, as market uncertainty impacted our customers' capital investment decisions. This uncertainty was driven by escalating tariff rates and economic policies impacting manufacturers’ operating costs. Persistent tariff uncertainty and ongoing trade negotiations continue to impact market conditions. This evolving trade environment has resulted in longer quote-to-order conversion times for capital orders. While customers continue to invest in maintenance and mission-critical equipment, those with discretion over project timing are deferring capital expenditures pending greater clarity regarding input costs and broader economic conditions. This impact is more pronounced in our Industrial Processing segment, where average capital order values are significantly higher than in our other segments.
From a geographic perspective, volatility in tariffs and trade policies has contributed to market uncertainty in North America, leading to cautious spending by manufacturers. In Europe, cost pressures and ongoing economic uncertainty related to trade tensions and geopolitical risks continue to impact market activity. In China, although government-led initiatives to stimulate domestic demand and manufacturing activity have been implemented, escalating trade tensions with the United States are generally expected to have a negative impact.
Overall, we anticipate higher bookings in 2026 compared to 2025, especially in our Industrial Processing segment where customer delays associated with pending orders from 2025 have resulted in a number of capital orders in the pipeline. We continue to see long-term strength in our end markets as customers rely on our products to enhance productivity through more efficient production processes. In addition, we anticipate growth opportunities resulting from both proposed and enacted legislation in the United States and internationally that is designed to stimulate investment.
An overview of our business by reportable segment is as follows:
• Flow Control – Our Flow Control segment bookings increased 4% in 2025 compared to 2024. This increase was primarily driven by strong demand for our parts and consumables products, especially in North America, partially offset by weaker demand for our capital equipment products in all regions. While quote activity related to capital projects remains strong, there have been delays in the timing for securing orders as customers remain cautious regarding their capital spending decisions. In certain European markets, excess production capacity and declining demand have resulted in the closure of several mills, adversely affecting demand for our capital equipment products. We expect steady demand in our Flow Control segment in 2026 and long-term strength in our end markets.
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• Industrial Processing – Our Industrial Processing segment bookings increased 6% in 2025 compared to 2024, while organic bookings remained flat as strong performance at our wood processing product line was offset by weaker results in our fiber processing product line. Within our wood processing product line, capital equipment bookings increased 66% in 2025 compared to 2024, primarily driven by demand from the engineered wood industry in North America, where customers select our products for their ability to maximize wood fiber utilization. Despite these positive results, overall demand for our capital equipment in the wood processing product line was constrained by uncertain market conditions. While quote activity for large capital projects remains active, economic and tariff-related uncertainty has led to a lengthening in quote-to-order times as customers await improved market conditions, with some customers delaying capital orders into 2026. Capital bookings at our fiber processing product line decreased 26% in 2025 compared to 2024 due to constrained capital spending related to macroeconomic conditions. These conditions have resulted in the deferral of capital orders into 2026. Tariff-related uncertainty has had a greater impact in this segment due to higher average capital order values and our customers’ ability to the timing of large capital projects. these factors, demand for our aftermarket parts in our Industrial Processing segment has remained as customers prioritize maintenance spending. We expect steady demand for our aftermarket parts to continue in 2026. In addition, we anticipate a in demand for our capital equipment products in this segment in 2026, supported by the expected receipt of several large capital orders currently in the pipeline.
• Material Handling – Our Material Handling segment bookings increased 6% in 2025 compared to 2024, due to increased demand for our capital equipment products at our conveying and vibratory business. This increase was driven by underground mineral mining projects where customers placed substantial equipment orders to meet their operational requirements, partially offset by a decrease in demand for parts and consumables. In addition, there was higher demand at our baling business for both capital equipment and aftermarket products. In 2026, we expect steady demand for aftermarket parts and increased demand for capital equipment products in this segment.
Our global operations have been and continue to be impacted by complex market conditions fueled by tariff-related uncertainty, inflationary pressures, and geopolitical tensions. We expect our operating environment to continue to be challenging, resulting in continued uncertainty for 2026. However, we believe that the fundamentals of our business remain strong, supported by our solid market position in key product lines, experienced global operations teams, and the long-term strength of our end markets. For more information related to these challenges, and other factors impacting our business, please see Part I, Item 1A , "Risk Factors."
International Sales
Approximately half of our sales are to customers outside the United States, mainly in Europe, Asia, and Canada. As a result, our financial performance can be materially affected by currency exchange rate fluctuations between the U.S. dollar and foreign currencies. To mitigate the impact of foreign currency fluctuations, we generally seek to charge our customers in the same currency in which our operating costs are incurred. Additionally, we may enter into forward currency exchange contracts to hedge certain firm purchase and sale commitments denominated in currencies other than our subsidiaries' functional currencies. We currently do not use derivative instruments to hedge our exposure to exchange rate fluctuations created by the translation into the U.S. dollar of our foreign subsidiaries' results that are in functional currencies other than the U.S. dollar.
Global Trade
The United States has imposed tariffs in the past and more recently proposed and implemented new tariffs on certain countries and imports, which has and will continue to increase the cost of some of the parts and equipment we import. In addition, foreign countries have implemented and may in the future implement additional retaliatory tariffs in response to these actions by the United States, which have negatively impacted and may in the future negatively impact our operations. Although we are working to mitigate the impact of tariffs through pricing and sourcing strategies, we cannot be sure these strategies will effectively mitigate the impact of these costs. For more information on risks associated with our global operations, including tariffs, please see Part I, Item 1A , "Risk Factors."
Acquisitions
We expect that a significant driver of our long-term growth will be through the acquisition of businesses and technologies that complement or augment our existing products and services or may involve entry into a new process industry. We have acquired several businesses in recent years and continue to pursue acquisition opportunities. See Note 2 , Acquisitions, in the accompanying consolidated financial statements for further details.
On July 9, 2025, we acquired Babbini S.p.A and G.P.S. Engineering S.r.l (collectively, Babbini), two Italy-based companies specializing in industrial dewatering and engineered power transmission solutions, for approximately $16.5 million, net of cash acquired. On October 7, 2025, we acquired Clyde Industries Holdings, Inc. and its subsidiaries (collectively, Clyde Industries), a manufacturer of highly engineered boiler efficiency and cleaning system technologies for $173.7 million, net of
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cash acquired. Babbini and Clyde Industries are part of our Industrial Processing segment. We funded these acquisitions primarily through borrowings under our revolving credit facility.
We expect several synergies in connection with the acquisitions, including expansion of product sales into new markets by leveraging our global sales network and relationships, as well as broadening our product portfolio, strengthening our position in the various markets served, and realizing the value of the acquired workforce.
On January 29, 2026, we entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the shares of voestalpine BÖHLER Profil GmbH & Co KG and voestalpine BÖHLER Profil VerwaltungsGmbH (collectively, voestalpine BÖHLER Profil), a global supplier of tailor-made special profiles with complex geometries and high-performance industrial knives, for approximately 157.0 million euros in cash, subject to certain customary adjustments. The closing of this acquisition is subject to receipt of certain Austrian regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, and will be financed primarily through borrowings under our revolving credit facility. Upon closing, voestalpine BÖHLER Profil will become part of our Industrial Processing segment and its name will change to Kadant Profil GmbH & Co KG.
Results of Operations
2025 Compared to 2024
Revenue
The following table presents changes in revenue by segment between 2025 and 2024, and those changes excluding the effect of acquisitions and foreign currency translation, which we refer to as change in organic revenue. Organic revenue excludes the effect of acquisitions for the four quarterly reporting periods following the date of the acquisition. The presentation of the change in organic revenue is a non-GAAP measure. We believe this non-GAAP measure helps investors gain an understanding of our underlying operations consistent with how management measures and forecasts its performance, especially when comparing such results to prior periods. This non-GAAP measure should not be considered superior to or a substitute for the corresponding GAAP measure.
Revenue by reportable segment in 2025 and 2024 is as follows:
(Non-GAAP)
Change in
Organic Revenue
(In thousands, except percentages)
January 3,
December 28,
Increase (Decrease)
% Change
Acquisitions
Currency Translation
Increase (Decrease)
% Change
Flow Control
Industrial Processing
Material Handling
Consolidated
Consolidated revenue was consistent with 2024, while organic revenue decreased 4% primarily due to weaker demand for our capital equipment products, especially at our Industrial Processing segment. Uncertainty related to the cost of capital and global trade, together with volatile input costs, contributed to a significant slowdown in the timing of securing large capital orders. As a result, revenue from capital equipment products decreased 16% in 2025 compared to 2024. From a geographic perspective, organic revenue was impacted by softening demand across most regions due to weak macroeconomic conditions fueled by trade tensions and geopolitical issues. While customers delayed large capital expenditures, the demand for our parts and consumables products was strong and represented a record 71% of revenue in 2025.
Revenue at our Flow Control segment increased 3% in 2025, while organic revenue remained flat compared to 2024 due to lower demand for our capital equipment products, especially in North America, as a result of challenging market conditions. Ongoing mill closures, production curtailments, and merger activity have contributed to weak market conditions in the pulp and paper industry. This decrease was offset by higher demand for parts and consumables products, with strength in North America offsetting weaker market conditions in Europe.
Revenue at our Industrial Processing segment decreased 5% in 2025, and organic revenue decreased 12% due to reduced demand for our capital equipment products primarily at our wood processing businesses. This was driven by weak conditions in the housing market attributable to limited supply and affordability challenges. The weaker demand for lumber and elevated import costs drove mill closures and curtailments. While there is active quote activity for large capital projects, economic uncertainty has increased the time for securing orders with certain orders being delayed to 2026. Revenue from capital equipment products also decreased in 2025 at our fiber processing businesses across most regions, especially in China, where trade tensions were further compounded by sluggish economic conditions, resulting in more cautious capital spending. Given the delay in committing to major capital expenditures, many customers focused their spending on critical parts and maintenance. As a result, demand for our parts and consumables products in this segment remained strong, with an 11% increase in 2025 compared to 2024.
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Revenue at our Material Handling segment increased 4% in 2025, driven by higher demand at our baling businesses for both capital equipment and parts and consumables products, primarily attributable to our baling business in Europe, where public policies support higher recycling rates.
Gross Profit Margin
Gross profit margin by reportable segment in 2025 and 2024 is as follows:
January 3,
December 28,
Basis Point Change
Flow Control
(20) bps
Industrial Processing
120 bps
Material Handling
180 bps
Consolidated
90 bps
Consolidated gross profit margin increased to 45.2% in 2025 from 44.3% in 2024 due to an increase in the proportion of higher-margin parts and consumables revenue, which increased to 71% of consolidated revenue in 2025 compared to 66% in 2024. Gross profit margin included amortization expense related to acquired profit in inventory of $1.5 million, which lowered gross profit margin by 0.2 percentage points in 2025, compared to expense of $5.2 million, which lowered gross profit margin by 0.4 percentage points in 2024.
Within our reportable segments, gross profit margin:
• Decreased to 52.3% at our Flow Control segment from 52.5% in 2024 due to lower margins achieved on our capital equipment products, which was partially offset by the inclusion of $2.0 million of amortization expense related to acquired profit in inventory in 2024, which decreased gross profit margin in 2024 by 0.5 percentage points.
• Increased to 43.0% at our Industrial Processing segment from 41.8% in 2024 due to an increase in the proportion of higher-margin parts and consumables revenue in 2025, partially offset by lower margins achieved on our capital equipment products.
• Increased to 38.1% at our Material Handling segment from 36.3% in 2024 due to higher margins achieved on our capital equipment products in 2025 and, to a lesser extent, the inclusion of $1.0 million of amortization expense related to acquired profit in inventory in the 2024 period, which decreased gross profit margin in 2024 by 0.5 percentage points.
Selling, General, and Administrative Expenses
Selling, general, and administrative (SG&A) expenses by reportable segment and corporate in 2025 and 2024 are as follows:
(In thousands, except percentages)
January 3,
December 28,
Increase
% Change
Flow Control
Industrial Processing
Material Handling
Corporate
Consolidated
Consolidated as a Percentage of Revenue
Consolidated SG&A expenses increased $21.9 million, or 8%, in 2025 compared to 2024 primarily due to the inclusion of $13.2 million of SG&A expenses from acquisitions and higher compensation-related costs. In addition, the weakening of the U.S. dollar resulted in a $4.4 million increase in SG&A expenses, including $2.2 million from the unfavorable effect of foreign currency translation and a $2.2 million shift from foreign currency gains in the 2024 period to losses in the 2025 period.
Within our reportable segments and corporate, SG&A expenses:
• Increased $5.3 million at our Flow Control segment principally due to the inclusion of $4.5 million of SG&A expenses from acquisitions and the impact of the weakening of the U.S. dollar, which resulted in a $2.6 million increase in SG&A expenses, including $1.4 million from the unfavorable effect of foreign currency translation and a $1.2 million shift from foreign currency gains in the 2024 period to losses in the 2025 period. These increases were partially offset by a decrease of $1.4 million in acquisition-related costs.
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• Increased $11.9 million at our Industrial Processing segment principally due to the inclusion of $7.7 million of SG&A expenses from acquisitions and a $3.2 million increase in acquisition costs.
• Increased $1.3 million at our Material Handling segment, including increases of $1.6 million in compensation expense, $1.0 million of SG&A expenses from acquisitions, $0.9 million in selling-related costs, and $0.6 million from the unfavorable effect of foreign currency translation. These increases were partially offset by a decrease of $2.6 million in acquisition-related costs.
• Increased $3.5 million at Corporate principally due to a $2.2 million increase in compensation expense and a $1.3 million increase in insurance expense.
Other Costs, Net
The components of other costs, net in 2025 and 2024 are as follows:
(In thousands)
January 3,
December 28,
Restructuring and Impairment Costs
Other Costs
• In 2025, within our Industrial Processing segment, we incurred restructuring costs of $0.1 million, primarily consisting of severance costs associated with the termination of two employees in connection with the closure of a small business in Europe, and an impairment charge of $0.3 million associated with previously acquired technology that will no longer be utilized.
• In 2025, we recognized land remediation costs of $0.9 million associated with the prior-period sale of a manufacturing facility and land use rights at one of our Chinese subsidiaries included within our Industrial Processing segment.
• In 2024, we recognized a loss of $0.7 million within our Flow Control segment from the recognition of a currency translation adjustment associated with the liquidation of a small foreign subsidiary.
Interest Expense
Interest expense decreased 22% to $15.6 million in 2025 from $20.0 million in 2024 due to debt repayments and a lower weighted average interest rate. We expect interest expense to increase significantly in 2026 as a result of the borrowing incurred in 2025 to fund our most recent acquisition and the anticipated borrowing in 2026 to fund our pending acquisition.
Provision for Income Taxes
Our provision for income taxes decreased to $39.9 million in 2025 from $40.5 million in 2024. Our effective tax rate of 27.8% in 2025 was higher than our statutory rate of 21% primarily due to the distribution of our worldwide earnings, nondeductible expenses, state taxes, and the cost of repatriating the earnings of certain foreign subsidiaries. These items were partially offset by foreign tax credits. Our effective tax rate of 26.5% in 2024 was higher than our statutory rate of 21% primarily due to the distribution of our worldwide earnings, state taxes, and nondeductible expenses.
Net Income
Net income decreased to $103.7 million in 2025 from $112.6 million in 2024 due to a $14.0 million decrease in operating income, offset in part by a $4.5 million decrease in interest expense and a $0.6 million decrease in income taxes (see discussions above for further details).
Non-GAAP Key Performance Indicators
In addition to the financial measures prepared in accordance with GAAP, we use certain non-GAAP financial measures, including organic revenue (defined as revenue excluding the effect of acquisitions and foreign currency translation), adjusted operating income, earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization (EBITDA), adjusted EBITDA, adjusted EBITDA margin (defined as adjusted EBITDA divided by revenue), and free cash flow (defined as net cash provided by operating activities less capital expenditures).
We use organic revenue in order to understand our trends and to forecast and evaluate our financial performance and compare revenue to prior periods (see discussion in Revenue above). Adjusted operating income, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted EBITDA margin exclude amortization expense related to acquired intangible assets, profit in inventory and backlog (collectively, purchase accounting expenses); acquisition costs; restructuring and impairment costs; and other income or
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expense, as indicated. We exclude acquisition-related purchase accounting expenses 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.
Our non-GAAP financial measures 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, our non-GAAP financial measures 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.
A reconciliation of adjusted operating income, adjusted EBITDA, and adjusted EBITDA margin from net income attributable to Kadant is as follows:
(In thousands, except percentages)
January 3,
December 28,
December 30,
Net Income Attributable to Kadant
Net Income Attributable to Noncontrolling Interests
Provision for Income Taxes
Interest Expense, Net
Other Expense, Net
Operating Income
Intangible Asset Amortization Expense
Profit in Inventory Amortization Expense (a)
Backlog Amortization Expense (b)
Acquisition Costs
Indemnification Asset Reversal, Net (c)
Other Costs (d)
Adjusted Operating Income (non-GAAP measure)
Depreciation Expense
Adjusted EBITDA (non-GAAP measure)
Adjusted EBITDA Margin (non-GAAP measure)
A reconciliation of free cash flow from net cash provided by operating activities is as follows:
(In thousands)
January 3,
December 28,
December 30,
Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities
Less: Capital Expenditures (e)
Free Cash Flow (non-GAAP measure)
(a) Represents expense within cost of revenue associated with amortization of acquired profit in inventory.
(b) Represents intangible amortization expense associated with acquired backlog.
(c) Represents the reversal of indemnification assets related to the release of tax reserves associated with uncertain tax positions.
(d) Includes land remediation costs of $0.9 million, restructuring costs of $0.1 million, and impairment costs of $0.3 million in our Industrial Processing segment in 2025, a loss of $0.7 million from the recognition of a cumulative translation adjustment associated with the liquidation of a small foreign subsidiary in our Flow Control segment in 2024, and restructuring and impairment costs of $0.8 million in our Flow Control segment in 2023.
(e) Includes capital expenditures of $7.4 million in 2023 related to a new manufacturing facility in China.
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Liquidity and Capital Resources
Consolidated working capital was $313.8 million at January 3, 2026, compared with $250.8 million at December 28, 2024. Cash and cash equivalents were $119.6 million at January 3, 2026, compared with $94.7 million at December 28, 2024, which included cash and cash equivalents held by our foreign subsidiaries of $100.3 million at January 3, 2026 and $73.8 million at December 28, 2024.
Cash Flow
Cash flow information is as follows:
(In thousands)
January 3,
December 28,
Net Cash Provided by Operating Activities
Net Cash Used in Investing Activities
Net Cash Provided by Financing Activities
Exchange Rate Effect on Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash
Increase (Decrease) in Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash
Operating Activities
Cash provided by operating activities increased to $171.3 million in 2025 from $155.3 million in 2024 primarily due to a reduction in cash used for working capital. Our operating cash flows are primarily generated from cash received from customers, offset by cash payments for items such as inventory, employee compensation, operating leases, income taxes, and interest payments on outstanding debt obligations.
Significant operating cash outflows associated with working capital in 2025 resulted from inventory, accounts payable and other liabilities. Purchases of inventory used cash of $12.9 million, a decrease in accounts payable used cash of $7.2 million due to reduced spending levels for capital equipment projects, and other liabilities used cash of $23.2 million primarily related to incentive compensation payments. These uses of cash were offset in part by a decrease in accounts receivable of $13.5 million due to timing of shipments, cash received from contract assets of $12.2 million related to contracts accounted for on an over time basis, and cash received from customer deposits of $9.4 million due to the timing of capital equipment orders.
Significant operating cash outflows associated with working capital in 2024 resulted from accounts receivable, customer deposits and other liabilities. A decrease in customer deposits used cash of $29.8 million due to a reduction in capital equipment orders and an increase in accounts receivable and contract assets used cash of $9.8 million primarily due to our revenue growth. Other liabilities used cash of $21.2 million primarily due to cash outflows from incentive compensation and operating lease payments. These uses of cash were offset in part by cash provided from the shipment of inventory of $24.0 million and increases in accounts payable of $10.6 million related to inventory purchases and the timing of payments.
Investing Activities
Cash used in investing activities was $205.4 million in 2025 compared with $319.1 million in 2024. Consideration paid for acquisitions, net of cash acquired, was $190.0 million in 2025 and $300.3 million in 2024. Additionally, capital expenditures were $17.0 million in 2025 and $21.0 million in 2024.
Financing Activities
Cash provided by financing activities was $54.0 million in 2025 compared with $159.9 million in 2024. Borrowings under our revolving credit facility were $199.0 million in 2025 and $305.2 million in 2024, and were primarily used to fund our acquisitions. Repayments of short- and long-term obligations were $123.4 million in 2025 and $124.5 million in 2024. Cash dividends paid to stockholders were $15.8 million in 2025 and $14.7 million in 2024. In addition, taxes paid related to the vesting of equity awards were $6.1 million in 2025 compared to $5.9 million in 2024.
Exchange Rate Effect on Cash, Cash Equivalents, and Restricted Cash
The exchange rate effect on cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash represents the impact of translation of cash balances at our foreign subsidiaries. The $6.8 million increase in cash, cash equivalents, and restricted cash in 2025 related to exchange rates was primarily attributable to the weakening of the U.S. dollar against the euro and, to a lesser extent, the Swedish krona, the Chinese renminbi, and the Canadian dollar. The $6.5 million decrease in cash, cash equivalents and restricted cash in 2024 was primarily attributable to the strengthening of the U.S. dollar against the euro and the Canadian dollar and, to a lesser extent, the Brazilian real and Mexican peso.
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Borrowing Capacity and Debt Obligations
On September 26, 2025, we entered into an eighth amendment and joinder (Eighth Amendment) to our unsecured multi-currency revolving credit facility, originally entered into on March 1, 2017 (as amended and restated to date, the Credit Agreement). The Eighth Amendment, among other things, increased our aggregate borrowing capacity from $400.0 million to $750.0 million and extended the maturity date from November 30, 2027 to September 26, 2030. In addition to the increased committed borrowing capacity, an uncommitted, unsecured incremental borrowing facility of $200.0 million continues to be available under the Credit Agreement. In 2025, we borrowed $199.0 million under our revolving credit facility, which was primarily used to fund our acquisitions.
As of January 3, 2026, our outstanding balance under the Credit Agreement was $366.7 million, which included $92.7 million of euro-denominated borrowings. We also had $383.2 million of available borrowing capacity, along with a $200.0 million uncommitted, unsecured incremental borrowing facility. Borrowings under our revolving credit facility bear variable rates of interest and adjust frequently based on prevailing market rates and the terms of our Credit Agreement. Under our debt agreements, our leverage ratio must be less than 3.75 to 1 or, if we elect, for the quarter during which a material acquisition occurs and for the three fiscal quarters thereafter, must be less than 4.25 to 1. As of January 3, 2026, our leverage ratio was 1.33 and we were in compliance with our debt covenants. See Note 6 , Long-Term Obligations, in the accompanying consolidated financial statements for additional information regarding our debt obligations.
On January 29, 2026, we entered into a definitive agreement to acquire the shares of voestalpine BÖHLER Profil for approximately 157.0 million euros in cash, subject to certain customary adjustments. The closing of this acquisition is subject to receipt of certain Austrian regulatory approvals and the satisfaction of customary closing conditions, and will be financed primarily through borrowings under our revolving credit facility.
Additional Liquidity and Capital Resources
In addition to the obligations on our consolidated balance sheet at January 3, 2026, which include, but are not limited to, long-term obligations ( Note 6 ), unrecognized tax benefits ( Note 5 ), leases ( Note 9 ), and contingent consideration associated with a 2024 acquisition ( Note 2 ), we have outstanding letters of credit and bank guarantees of $16.4 million at January 3, 2026, primarily relating to customer deposit guarantees and performance obligations ( Note 7 ).
On May 15, 2025, our board of directors approved the repurchase of up to $50.0 million of our equity securities during the period from May 15, 2025 to May 15, 2026. We have not repurchased any shares of our common stock under this authorization or under our previous $50.0 million authorization that expired on May 16, 2025.
We paid cash dividends of $15.8 million in 2025. On November 13, 2025, we declared a quarterly cash dividend of $0.34 per share totaling $4.0 million that was paid on February 5, 2026. Future declarations of dividends are subject to our board of directors' approval and may be adjusted as business needs or market conditions change. The declaration of cash dividends is also subject to our compliance with the covenant in our Credit Agreement related to our consolidated leverage ratio.
We plan to make capital expenditures of approximately $23.0 to $27.0 million during 2026 for property, plant, and equipment.
As of January 3, 2026, we had approximately $150.9 million of total unremitted foreign earnings. It is our intent to indefinitely reinvest $93.1 million of these earnings to support the current and future capital needs of our foreign operations, including debt repayments, if any. In 2025, we recorded withholding taxes on the earnings in certain foreign subsidiaries that we plan to repatriate in the foreseeable future. The foreign withholding taxes that would be required if we were to remit the indefinitely-reinvested foreign earnings to the United States would be approximately $2.9 million.
We believe that our existing cash and cash equivalents, along with cash generated from operations and our existing borrowing capacity will be sufficient to meet the capital requirements of our operations for the next 12 months and the foreseeable future.
Application of Critical Accounting Estimates
Management's discussion and analysis of financial condition and results of operations is based upon our consolidated financial statements, which have been prepared in accordance with GAAP. The preparation of these consolidated financial statements requires us to make estimates and assumptions that affect the reported amounts of assets and liabilities, disclosure of contingent assets and liabilities at the date of our consolidated financial statements, and the reported amounts of revenue and expenses during the reporting period. Our actual results may differ from these estimates under different assumptions or conditions.
Critical accounting policies and estimates are defined as those that entail significant judgments and uncertainties and could potentially result in materially different results under different assumptions and conditions. For a discussion on the application of these estimates and other accounting policies, see Note 1 , Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, in the accompanying consolidated financial statements. We believe that our most critical accounting
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policies and estimates upon which our financial position depends, and which involve the most complex or subjective decisions or assessments, are those described below.
Income Taxes
We operate in numerous countries under many legal forms and, as a result, are subject to the jurisdiction of numerous domestic and non-U.S. tax authorities, as well as to tax agreements and treaties among these governments. Determination of taxable income in any jurisdiction requires the interpretation of the related tax laws and regulations and the use of estimates and assumptions regarding significant future events, such as the amount, timing and character of deductions, permissible revenue recognition methods under the tax law and the sources and character of income and available tax credits. Changes in tax laws, regulations, agreements and treaties, currency-exchange restrictions or our level of operations or profitability in each taxing jurisdiction could have an impact upon the amount of current tax and deferred tax balances and our results of operations.
We compute our provision for income taxes using the asset and liability method, and we recognize deferred tax assets and liabilities for the expected future tax consequences of temporary differences between the financial reporting and tax bases of assets and liabilities and for tax loss or credit carryforwards. We measure deferred tax assets and liabilities using the currently enacted tax rates that are expected to apply to taxable income in the years in which we expect to realize those deferred tax assets and liabilities. We estimate the degree to which our deferred tax assets on deductible temporary differences and tax loss or credit carryforwards will result in an income tax benefit based on the expected profitability by tax jurisdiction, and we provide a valuation allowance for these deferred tax assets if it is more likely than not that they will not be realized in the future. If it were to become more likely than not that these deferred tax assets would be realized, we would reverse the related valuation allowance. Should our actual future taxable income by tax jurisdiction vary from our estimates, additional valuation allowances or reversals thereof may be necessary. When assessing the need for a valuation allowance in a tax jurisdiction, we evaluate the weight of all available evidence to determine whether it is more likely than not that some portion or all of the deferred income tax assets will not be realized. As part of this evaluation, we consider our cumulative three-year history of earnings before income taxes, taxable income in prior carryback years, future reversals of existing taxable temporary differences, prudent and feasible tax planning strategies, and expected future results of operations. At year-end 2025, we maintained a valuation allowance predominantly in certain foreign jurisdictions due to the uncertainty of future in those jurisdictions. Our tax valuation allowance was $8.7 million at year-end 2025.
In the ordinary course of business there are inherent uncertainties and judgements required in quantifying our income tax positions. It is our policy to provide for uncertain tax positions and the related interest and penalties based upon our assessment of whether a tax benefit is more likely than not to be sustained upon examination by tax authorities. On a quarterly basis, we evaluate our uncertain tax positions against various factors, including changes in facts or circumstances, tax laws, or the status of audits by tax authorities. We believe that we have appropriately accounted for any liability for unrecognized tax benefits, and at year-end 2025, our liability for these unrecognized tax benefits, including an accrual for the related interest and penalties, totaled $17.3 million. To the extent we prevail in matters for which a liability for an unrecognized tax benefit is established or are required to pay amounts in excess of the liability, our effective tax rate in a given financial statement period may be affected.
We intend to repatriate the distributable reserves of select foreign subsidiaries back to the United States and, during 2025, we recorded $0.6 million of tax expense associated with these foreign earnings that we plan to repatriate in 2026. Except for these select foreign subsidiaries, we intend to reinvest indefinitely the earnings of our international subsidiaries in order to support the current and future capital needs of their operations, including the repayment of our foreign debt.
In December 2021, the OECD released the Pillar Two Rules. Since the release of the Pillar Two Rules, the OECD has issued multiple tranches of administrative guidance, as well as guidance on transitional safe harbor relief. Various countries, including the member states of the European Union, have adopted Pillar Two Rules into their domestic laws, with certain rules coming into effect for fiscal years beginning in 2024. While the Pillar Two Rules serve as a framework for implementing the minimum tax, countries may enact domestic laws that vary slightly from the Pillar Two Rules and may also adjust domestic tax incentives to align with the Pillar Two Rules on different timelines. In 2025, we incurred Pillar Two top-up tax that was assessed under the Undertaxed Profits Rule (UTPR). The related UTPR top-up tax was recorded within our provision for income taxes in 2025 and did not have a material impact on our effective tax rate or consolidated financial statements. In January 2026, the OECD released additional administrative guidance (Side-by-Side package) introducing new safe harbors. The package includes an elective Side-by Side safe harbor that, subject to adoption into local law, may exempt eligible U.S. parented multinational groups from the application of certain aspects of the global minimum tax regime for fiscal years beginning on or after January 1, 2026. We continue to evaluate the applicability of available safe harbors, monitor developments in OECD guidance and local-country implementation, and assess the potential impact on our future Pillar Two compliance obligations and tax rate.
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Kadant Inc.
Revenue Recognition
Approximately 90% of our revenue is recognized at a point in time following the transfer of control of the goods or service to the customer, primarily relating to our products that require minimal customization for the customer. The remaining portion of our revenue is recognized on an over time basis using an input method that compares the costs incurred to date to the total expected costs required to satisfy the performance obligation. Most revenue recognized on an over time basis is for large capital products that are highly customized for the customer and, as a result, would include significant cost to rework in the event of cancellation. The over time basis of accounting requires significant judgment in determining applicable contract costs and the corresponding revenue to be recognized, which could be different if there were to be changes to the circumstances of the contract. When adjustments to revenue and costs are required, the adjustments are included in earnings in the period of the change. Judgment is also required for contracts involving variable consideration and multiple performance obligations.
Valuation of Goodwill and Intangible Assets
We use assumptions and estimates in determining the fair value of assets acquired and liabilities assumed in a business combination, including the determination of the fair value of intangible assets acquired, which represents a significant portion of the purchase price in many of our acquisitions. We estimate the fair value of intangible assets primarily using the multi-period excess earnings and relief-from-royalty valuation methods, which are based on projections of discounted cash flows or royalty payments avoided that we expect from the identifiable intangible assets of the acquired businesses. Our valuation models incorporate significant assumptions, including future revenue growth rates, customer attrition rates, gross and operating margins, discount rates and royalty rates. The determination of the allocation of the purchase price for the fair value of intangible assets acquired requires significant judgment as does the determination as to whether such intangibles are amortizable or non-amortizable and, if amortizable, the amortization period of the intangible asset.
We evaluate the recoverability of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets as of the first day of our fourth quarter of each fiscal year, or more frequently if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset might be impaired. Potential impairment indicators include a significant decline in sales, earnings, or cash flows, material adverse changes in the business climate, and a significant decline in the market capitalization due to a sustained decrease in our stock price. We are permitted to first assess qualitative factors to determine whether the quantitative impairment test is necessary. If the qualitative impairment analysis (Step 0) results in a determination that the fair value of a reporting unit or an indefinite lived intangible asset is more likely than not less than its carrying amount, we perform a quantitative impairment analysis (Step 1). We may bypass the qualitative assessment and proceed directly to the quantitative assessment. Estimates of discounted future cash flows arising from intangible assets acquired require assumptions related to revenue and operating income growth rates, discount rates, and other factors. Different assumptions from those made in our analysis could materially affect projected cash flows and our evaluation of goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets for .
At September 28, 2025 (the first day of the fourth quarter of 2025), we performed a qualitative impairment analysis on our goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets. Based on these analyses, we determined goodwill and indefinite-lived intangible assets were not impaired. Goodwill totaled $497.1 million and indefinite-lived intangible assets totaled $28.9 million at September 28, 2025. During the fourth quarter, we recognized goodwill of $55.8 million in connection with the Clyde Industries acquisition. At year-end 2025, no factors were identified that would alter the conclusions of our September 28, 2025 analysis. Goodwill totaled $555.6 million and indefinite-lived intangible assets totaled $29.0 million at year-end 2025.
Definite-lived intangible assets are evaluated for impairment if events or changes in circumstances indicate that the carrying value of an asset might be impaired, such as a significant reduction in cash flows associated with the assets. Actual cash flows arising from a particular intangible asset could vary from projected cash flows which could imply different carrying values from those established at the dates of acquisition and which could result in impairment of such asset. No indicators of impairment were identified in 2025 and 2024. Definite-lived intangible assets were $321.4 million at year-end 2025.
A material adverse change in the business climate including a prolonged economic downturn and weakness in demand for our products could negatively affect the revenue and profitability assumptions used in our assessment of goodwill and intangible assets, which may result in impairment charges. Any future impairment charges could have a material adverse effect on our results of operations in the period in which an impairment is determined to exist.
Inventories
We value our inventory at the lower of the actual cost (on a first-in, first-out; or weighted average basis) or net realizable value and include materials, labor, and manufacturing overhead. The valuation of inventory requires us to make judgments, based on currently available information, about the forecasted usage of and demand for each particular product or product line. Assumptions about future dispositions of inventory are inherently uncertain and, although we make every effort to ensure the accuracy of our forecasts of future product usage and demand, any changes in those assumptions may result in a write-down of inventory in the period in which inventory is deemed excessive or obsolete, which could adversely affect our results of operations.
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Kadant Inc.
Recent Accounting Pronouncements
See Note 1 , Nature of Operations and Summary of Significant Accounting Policies, under the heading Recent Accounting Pronouncements , in the accompanying consolidated financial statements for further details.
