Sifting through countless of stocks in the Machinery industry can be tedious, and sometimes two stocks are just too similar to judge which is the better investment. If you’re on the fence about investing in Tennant Company or Kadant Inc. because you’re not sure how they measure up, it’s important to compare them on a few factors before making your decision.

Read on to learn how Tennant Company and Kadant Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Tennant Company and Kadant Inc.

Tennant Company, together with its subsidiaries, designs, manufactures, and markets floor cleaning equipment in the Americas, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, and the Asia Pacific. The company offers manual and autonomous mechanized cleaning equipment for industrial and commercial use, detergent-free and other sustainable cleaning technologies, aftermarket parts and consumables, and equipment maintenance and repair services. It also provides business solutions such as financing, rental and leasing programs, and machine-to-machine asset management solutions. In addition, the company offers robotic cleaning equipment; IRIS, an asset management solution; ec-H2O NanoClean, a detergent-free cleaning solution; and ReadySpace, a rapid-drying carpet cleaning technology. It offers its products under the Tennant, Nobles, Alfa Uma Empresa Tennant, IPC, Gaomei, and Rongen brands, as well as private-label brands. The company serves retail establishments, distribution centers, factories and warehouses, public venues such as arenas and stadiums, office buildings, schools and universities, hospitals and clinics, and others. It markets its products to contract cleaners and businesses through direct sales and service organizations, as well as through a network of authorized distributors. Tennant Company was founded in 1870 and is headquartered in Eden Prairie, Minnesota.

Kadant Inc. supplies technologies and engineered systems worldwide. The company operates through three segments: Flow Control, Industrial Processing, and Material Handling. The Flow Control segment develops, manufactures, and markets fluid-handling systems, equipment, and integrated technologies, such as rotary joints, syphons, Turbulator bars, expansion joints, and engineered steam and condensate systems, as well as doctor systems and holders, doctor blades, cleaning showers and fabric-conditioning systems, forming systems and wear surfaces, and water-filtration systems. The Industrial Processing segment provides ring and rotary debarkers, stranders, chippers, engineered knife systems, and industrial automation and control products. This segment also offers recycling and approach flow systems, virgin pulping process equipment, boiler cleaning technologies, and single and double-screw presses. The Material Handling segment provides vibratory and conveying equipment; individual components and equipment for baling recyclable and waste materials; and fiber-based products. It sells its products and services through direct sales, independent sales agents, and distributors. The company was formerly known as Thermo Fibertek, Inc. and changed its name to Kadant Inc. in July 2001. Kadant Inc. was incorporated in 1991 and is headquartered in Westford, Massachusetts.

Latest Machinery and Tennant Company, Kadant Inc. Stock News

As of July 31, 2026, Tennant Company had a $1.4 billion market capitalization, compared to the Machinery median of $3.9 million. Tennant Company’s stock is up 14% in 2026, down 4.3% in the previous five trading days and up 3.04% in the past year.

Currently, Tennant Company’s price-earnings ratio is 49.7. Tennant Company’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.2 billion with a 2.6% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 2.7%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $5.117 per share for the current fiscal year. Tennant Company currently has a 1.5% dividend yield.

As of July 31, 2026, Kadant Inc. had a $3.6 billion market cap, putting it in the 62nd percentile of all stocks. Kadant Inc.’s stock is up 7.9% in 2026, down 1.6% in the previous five trading days and down 14.25% in the past year.

Currently, Kadant Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 35.1. Kadant Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.1 billion with a 9.4% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 17.7%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $11.870 per share for the current fiscal year. Kadant Inc. currently has a 0.5% dividend yield.

How We Compare Tennant Company and Kadant Inc. Stock Grades

Stock evaluation requires access to huge amounts of data and the knowledge and time to sift through it all, make sense of financial ratios, read income statements and analyze recent stock movements. AAII created A+ Investor, a robust data suite that condenses data research in an actionable and customizable way suitable for investors of all knowledge levels, to help investors streamline and work through such data.

AAII’s proprietary stock grades come with A+ Investor. These offer intuitive A‐F grades for each of five key investing factors: value, growth, momentum, earnings estimate revisions and quality. Here, we’ll take a closer look at Tennant Company and Kadant Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Tennant Company and Kadant Inc. Growth Grades

Company	Ticker	Growth
Tennant Company	TNC	D
Kadant Inc.	KAI	A

The foundation of growth investing is seeking out stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth that is expected to continue into the future.

In order to compute the growth score and assign it a letter grade, the percentile ranks for each of three components‐consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations‐must be determined. These three rank figures are added together, and the sum is ranked against the entire stock universe to arrive at a company’s Growth Score to create an equal distribution of grades.

The companies in the bottom 20% of the stock universe receive Growth Grades of F, considered to be very weak, while those in the top 20% receive A grades, which are considered very strong.

Tennant Company has a Growth Score of 40, which is Weak. Kadant Inc. has a Growth Score of 83, which is Very Strong.

The Growth Grade Winner: Kadant Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Growth Grade breakdown above, Kadant Inc. has a more attractive growth grade than Tennant Company. For investors who focus solely on how a company is growing relative to other companies in the same industry, Kadant Inc. could be a good stock to add to their portfolio. However, it’s important for investors to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Tennant Company and Kadant Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Tennant Company	TNC	C
Kadant Inc.	KAI	C

Momentum grades help to uncover stocks experiencing anomalously high rates of return; research finds that stocks with high relative levels of momentum tend to outperform, whereas those with low levels of momentum tend to continue underperforming. Momentum is based on the price change of a stock over a specified period relative to all other stocks.

Typically, AAII looks at the weighted relative strength over the trailing four quarters. The weighted four-quarter relative strength rank is the relative price change for each of the past four quarters. The most recent quarterly price change is given a weight of 40% and each of the three previous quarters are given a weighting of 20%.

Tennant Company has a Momentum Score of 42, which is Average. Kadant Inc. has a Momentum Score of 41, which is Average.

The Momentum Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Tennant Company or Kadant Inc. has a strong enough Momentum Grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolios. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Tennant Company or Kadant Inc. is the better investment when it comes to momentum.

Tennant Company and Kadant Inc.’s Estimate Revisions Grades

Company	Ticker	Earnings Estimate
Tennant Company	TNC	D
Kadant Inc.	KAI	B

Earnings estimate revisions scores consider the magnitude of a company’s earnings surprise in its last two reported fiscal quarters. Often, positive surprises beget further positive surprises‐or at least continued sales growth (the exact opposite is generally true, too).

Estimate revisions offer an indication of what analysts are thinking about the short-term prospects of a firm. Estimate revisions are based on the statistical significance of a firm’s last two quarterly earnings surprises and the percentage change in its consensus estimate for the current fiscal year over the past month and past three months.

Tennant Company has a Earnings Estimate Score of 32, which is Negative. Kadant Inc. has a Earnings Estimate Score of 63, which is Positive.

The Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade Winner: Kadant Inc.

As you can clearly see from the Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade breakdown above, Kadant Inc. has a better Earnings Estimate Revisions Grade than Tennant Company. For those who are specifically looking for companies with better short-term prospects when compared to other companies in the same industry, Kadant Inc. could be a good stock to invest in. However, it’s important to analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before deciding whether to buy.

Other Tennant Company and Kadant Inc. Grades

In addition to Growth, Estimate Revisions and Momentum, A+ Investor also provides grades for Value and Quality.

Successful stock investing involves buying low and selling high, so stock valuation is an important consideration for stock selection. Buying stocks that are going to go up typically means buying stocks that are undervalued in the first place, although momentum investors may argue that point.

AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the ranking of key metrics. Specifically, the quality grade is the percentile rank of the composite of return on assets (ROA), return on invested capital (ROIC), gross profit relative to assets, buyback yield, change in total liabilities to assets, accruals, Z double prime bankruptcy risk (Z) score and F-Score.

These 2 key factors, when combined with the above, provide a holistic view into a particular stock. Further, by joining A+ Investor you can see whether Tennant Company and Kadant Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Tennant Company or Kadant Inc. Stock?

Overall, Tennant Company stock has a Growth Score of 40, Momentum Score of 42 and Estimate Revisions Score of 32.

Kadant Inc. stock has a Growth Score of 83, Momentum Score of 41 and Estimate Revisions Score of 63.

Comparing Tennant Company and Kadant Inc.’s grades, scores and metrics can act as a solid basis to determine whether they may be a good investment or not. You’ll also want to look at your portfolio’s asset allocation as well as your risk tolerance and financial goals to see if either of these stocks would make a good fit for you. AAII can help you figure out which investments align with your individual needs and preferences.

Investors are encouraged to do their own due diligence and research. In this way, individuals can effectively become managers of their own assets‐without having to rely on others for financial independence. You can count on AAII for timeless articles on financial planning and stock-picking, unbiased research and actionable analysis.

A+ Investor adds to our qualitative teaching with a powerful data suite to help you whittle down investment choices to find stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) or mutual funds that meet your needs.

AAII Disclaimer

We make no representations or warranties that any investor will, or is likely to, achieve profits similar to those shown, because past, hypothetical or simulated performance is not necessarily indicative of future results. Before making an investment decision, you should consider your circumstances and whether the information on our content is applicable to your situation. This information was prepared in good faith, and we accept no liability for any errors or omissions. The full disclaimer can be read here.