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 Albany International Corp. 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 Albany International Corp. and Kadant Inc. compare based on key financial metrics to determine which better meets your investment needs.

About Albany International Corp. and Kadant Inc.

Albany International Corp., together with its subsidiaries, engages in the machine clothing and engineered composites businesses in the United States, Switzerland, France, Brazil, China, Mexico, Germany, and internationally. The company operates through two segments: Machine Clothing (MC) and Albany Engineered Composites (AEC). The MC segment designs, manufactures, and markets paper machine clothing for use in the manufacturing of papers, paperboard, tissues, towels, pulps, building products, tannery, and textiles, as well as nonwovens, fiber cement, and several other industrial applications. This segment offers paper machine clothing forming, pressing, and drying fabrics, as well as processing belts; and engineered fabrics. Its AEC segment 3D-woven and injected composite components for aircraft engines composite airframe and engine components for military and commercial aircraft. The company sells its products to commercial and defense markets, space-launch vehicles and the emerging advanced air mobility market, as well as to customer end-users. Albany International Corp. was incorporated in 1895 and is headquartered in Portsmouth, New Hampshire.

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 Albany International Corp., Kadant Inc. Stock News

As of September 2, 2026, Albany International Corp. had a $1.7 billion market capitalization, compared to the Machinery median of $4.0 million. Albany International Corp.’s stock is up 19.7% in 2026, up 2.5% in the previous five trading days and down 5.61% in the past year.

Currently, Albany International Corp. does not have a price-earnings ratio. Albany International Corp.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.2 billion with a -4.2% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 5.8%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $2.552 per share for the current fiscal year. Albany International Corp. currently has a 1.9% dividend yield.

As of September 2, 2026, Kadant Inc. had a $3.5 billion market cap, putting it in the 61st percentile of all stocks. Kadant Inc.’s stock is up 4.8% in 2026, down 2.3% in the previous five trading days and down 7.16% in the past year.

Currently, Kadant Inc.’s price-earnings ratio is 31.7. Kadant Inc.’s trailing 12-month revenue is $1.2 billion with a 9.5% net profit margin. Year-over-year quarterly sales growth most recently was 22.6%. Analysts expect adjusted earnings to reach $12.038 per share for the current fiscal year. Kadant Inc. currently has a 0.5% dividend yield.

How We Compare Albany International Corp. 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 Albany International Corp. and Kadant Inc.’s stock grades to see how they measure up against one another.

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Albany International Corp. and Kadant Inc. Stock Value Grades

Company	Ticker	Value
Albany International Corp.	AIN	D
Kadant Inc.	KAI	D

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 Value Grade derives from a stock’s value score. The Value Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks of the price-to-sales ratio, price-earnings ratio, enterprise-value-to-EBITDA (EV/EBITDA) ratio, shareholder yield, price-to-book-value ratio and price-to-free-cash-flow ratio. The score is variable, meaning it can consider all six ratios or, should any of the six ratios not be valid, the remaining ratios that are valid. To be assigned a Value Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) ratio and corresponding ranking for at least two of the six valuation ratios.

Stocks with a Value Score from 81 to 100 are considered deep value, those with a score between 61 and 80 are a good value and so on.

Albany International Corp. has a Value Score of 36, which is Expensive. Kadant Inc. has a Value Score of 28, which is Expensive.

The Value Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Albany International Corp. or Kadant Inc. has a high enough value grade to be considered a “winner.” Investors who are considering these companies should do additional due diligence and research to see if either could be a good addition to their portfolio. It’s important to look at a wide range of financial metrics in order to determine if Albany International Corp. or Kadant Inc. is the better investment when it comes to value.

Albany International Corp. and Kadant Inc.’s Quality Grades

Company	Ticker	Quality
Albany International Corp.	AIN	B
Kadant Inc.	KAI	B

Like the Value Grade, AAII’s A+ Investor Quality Grade comes from the percentile rank of key metrics. Specifically, the Quality Score is the percentile rank of the average of the percentile ranks 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 the F-Score.

The score is variable, meaning it can consider all eight measures or, should any of the eight measures not be valid, the remaining measures that are valid. To be assigned a Quality Score, stocks must have a valid (non-null) measure and corresponding ranking for at least four of the eight quality measures.

The Quality Score is used to assess the underlying “quality” of a particular stock. A higher-quality stock possesses traits associated with upside potential and reduced downside risk. Backtesting of the Quality Grade shows that stocks with higher grades, on average, outperformed stocks with lower grades over the period of 1998 through 2019.

Stocks receive better grades (higher scores) for having higher scores for the quality subcomponents and worse grades (lower scores) for lower scores for the subcomponents.

Albany International Corp. has a Quality Score of 61, which is Strong. Kadant Inc. has a Quality Score of 65, which is Strong.

The Quality Grade Winner: It’s a Tie!

Looking at the Quality Grade breakdown above, both Albany International Corp. and Kadant Inc. have a grade of B. For investors who focus solely on a company’s overall quality, you will need to conduct further research into both companies to see if they are a good fit for your portfolio. As a good rule of thumb, you should always analyze multiple factors based on a wide range of metrics before choosing a company to invest in.

Albany International Corp. and Kadant Inc.’s Momentum Grades

Company	Ticker	Momentum
Albany International Corp.	AIN	D
Kadant Inc.	KAI	D

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%.

Albany International Corp. has a Momentum Score of 33, which is Weak. Kadant Inc. has a Momentum Score of 35, which is Weak.

The Momentum Stock Winner: No Clear Winner

Neither Albany International Corp. 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 Albany International Corp. or Kadant Inc. is the better investment when it comes to momentum.

Other Albany International Corp. and Kadant Inc. Grades

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

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

Growth investing builds on the idea that stocks of companies exhibiting strong, consistent and prolonged growth outperform those of slower-growth companies. AAII measures growth through consistency of annual sales growth, five-year sales growth rankings adjusted for extreme levels, and consistency of positive annual cash from operations.

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 Albany International Corp. and Kadant Inc. pass any of our 60+ stock screens that have outperformed the market since their creation.

So, Which Is the Better Investment, Albany International Corp. or Kadant Inc. Stock?

Overall, Albany International Corp. stock has a Value Score of 36, Momentum Score of 33 and Quality Score of 61.

Kadant Inc. stock has a Value Score of 28, Momentum Score of 35 and Quality Score of 65.

Comparing Albany International Corp. 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.