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Side-by-side financial comparison of KADANT INC (KAI) and LINCOLN EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CORP (LINC). Click either name above to swap in a different company.

KADANT INC is the larger business by last-quarter revenue ($271.6M vs $142.9M, roughly 1.9× LINCOLN EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CORP). KADANT INC runs the higher net margin — 10.2% vs 8.9%, a 1.3% gap on every dollar of revenue. On growth, LINCOLN EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CORP posted the faster year-over-year revenue change (19.7% vs -0.0%). KADANT INC produced more free cash flow last quarter ($44.1M vs $25.0M). Over the past eight quarters, LINCOLN EDUCATIONAL SERVICES CORP's revenue compounded faster (17.6% CAGR vs 6.7%).

Kadant Inc. is a company that was established in 1991, as a partly privately owned subsidiary of Thermo Electron, and partly publicly traded company, and was fully spun out and renamed Kadant in 2001. The company supports papermaking, paper recycling, wood processing, material handling, and other processing industries. Kadant is a multi-national corporation with operations in Asia, Europe, North America, and South America.

Lincoln Tech is an American group of for-profit postsecondary vocational institutions headquartered in Parsippany, New Jersey with campuses in Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee, and Texas. Each campus is owned and operated by Lincoln Educational Services Corporation, a provider of career-oriented post-secondary education.

KAI vs LINC — Head-to-Head

Bigger by revenue
KAI
KAI
1.9× larger
KAI
$271.6M
$142.9M
LINC
Growing faster (revenue YoY)
LINC
LINC
+19.7% gap
LINC
19.7%
-0.0%
KAI
Higher net margin
KAI
KAI
1.3% more per $
KAI
10.2%
8.9%
LINC
More free cash flow
KAI
KAI
$19.1M more FCF
KAI
$44.1M
$25.0M
LINC
Faster 2-yr revenue CAGR
LINC
LINC
Annualised
LINC
17.6%
6.7%
KAI

Income Statement — Q3 FY2025 vs Q4 FY2025

Metric
KAI
KAI
LINC
LINC
Revenue
$271.6M
$142.9M
Net Profit
$27.7M
$12.7M
Gross Margin
45.2%
62.3%
Operating Margin
15.7%
12.4%
Net Margin
10.2%
8.9%
Revenue YoY
-0.0%
19.7%
Net Profit YoY
-12.2%
85.9%
EPS (diluted)
$2.35
$0.41

Green = leading value per metric. Periods may differ when fiscal calendars don't align.

8-Quarter Revenue & Profit Trend

Side-by-side quarterly history. Quarters aligned by calendar period so offset fiscal years line up.

Revenue
KAI
KAI
LINC
LINC
Q4 25
$142.9M
Q3 25
$271.6M
$141.4M
Q2 25
$255.3M
$116.5M
Q1 25
$239.2M
$117.5M
Q4 24
$258.0M
$119.4M
Q3 24
$271.6M
$114.4M
Q2 24
$274.8M
$102.9M
Q1 24
$249.0M
$103.4M
Net Profit
KAI
KAI
LINC
LINC
Q4 25
$12.7M
Q3 25
$27.7M
$3.8M
Q2 25
$26.2M
$1.6M
Q1 25
$24.1M
$1.9M
Q4 24
$24.0M
$6.8M
Q3 24
$31.6M
$4.0M
Q2 24
$31.3M
$-682.0K
Q1 24
$24.7M
$-214.0K
Gross Margin
KAI
KAI
LINC
LINC
Q4 25
62.3%
Q3 25
45.2%
59.5%
Q2 25
45.9%
59.8%
Q1 25
46.1%
59.7%
Q4 24
43.4%
62.2%
Q3 24
44.7%
58.0%
Q2 24
44.4%
55.7%
Q1 24
44.6%
58.4%
Operating Margin
KAI
KAI
LINC
LINC
Q4 25
12.4%
Q3 25
15.7%
4.4%
Q2 25
15.4%
2.5%
Q1 25
14.9%
2.9%
Q4 24
14.3%
9.2%
Q3 24
18.0%
5.1%
Q2 24
17.6%
-1.1%
Q1 24
14.8%
-0.4%
Net Margin
KAI
KAI
LINC
LINC
Q4 25
8.9%
Q3 25
10.2%
2.7%
Q2 25
10.2%
1.3%
Q1 25
10.1%
1.7%
Q4 24
9.3%
5.7%
Q3 24
11.6%
3.5%
Q2 24
11.4%
-0.7%
Q1 24
9.9%
-0.2%
EPS (diluted)
KAI
KAI
LINC
LINC
Q4 25
$0.41
Q3 25
$2.35
$0.12
Q2 25
$2.22
$0.05
Q1 25
$2.04
$0.06
Q4 24
$2.04
$0.22
Q3 24
$2.68
$0.13
Q2 24
$2.66
$-0.02
Q1 24
$2.10
$-0.01

Balance Sheet & Financial Strength

Snapshot of each company's liquidity, leverage and book value from the latest quarter.

Metric
KAI
KAI
LINC
LINC
Cash + ST InvestmentsLiquidity on hand
$124.5M
$28.5M
Total DebtLower is stronger
$254.6M
Stockholders' EquityBook value
$949.8M
$199.7M
Total Assets
$1.5B
$493.2M
Debt / EquityLower = less leverage
0.27×

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Cash + ST Investments
KAI
KAI
LINC
LINC
Q4 25
$28.5M
Q3 25
$124.5M
$13.5M
Q2 25
$95.3M
$16.7M
Q1 25
$91.7M
$28.7M
Q4 24
$94.7M
$59.3M
Q3 24
$88.4M
$54.0M
Q2 24
$73.8M
$67.0M
Q1 24
$81.4M
$68.6M
Total Debt
KAI
KAI
LINC
LINC
Q4 25
Q3 25
$254.6M
Q2 25
$245.7M
Q1 25
$273.5M
Q4 24
$285.2M
Q3 24
$323.2M
Q2 24
$342.0M
Q1 24
$306.8M
Stockholders' Equity
KAI
KAI
LINC
LINC
Q4 25
$199.7M
Q3 25
$949.8M
$185.9M
Q2 25
$926.0M
$180.7M
Q1 25
$876.0M
$177.8M
Q4 24
$847.1M
$178.3M
Q3 24
$851.7M
$170.0M
Q2 24
$807.7M
$164.9M
Q1 24
$782.7M
$164.5M
Total Assets
KAI
KAI
LINC
LINC
Q4 25
$493.2M
Q3 25
$1.5B
$466.9M
Q2 25
$1.5B
$447.3M
Q1 25
$1.4B
$427.4M
Q4 24
$1.4B
$436.6M
Q3 24
$1.5B
$404.0M
Q2 24
$1.5B
$366.4M
Q1 24
$1.4B
$355.2M
Debt / Equity
KAI
KAI
LINC
LINC
Q4 25
Q3 25
0.27×
Q2 25
0.27×
Q1 25
0.31×
Q4 24
0.34×
Q3 24
0.38×
Q2 24
0.42×
Q1 24
0.39×

Cash Flow & Capital Efficiency

How much cash each business actually produces after reinvestment. Cash flow is harder to manipulate than net income.

Metric
KAI
KAI
LINC
LINC
Operating Cash FlowLast quarter
$47.3M
$43.5M
Free Cash FlowOCF − Capex
$44.1M
$25.0M
FCF MarginFCF / Revenue
16.2%
17.5%
Capex IntensityCapex / Revenue
1.2%
13.0%
Cash ConversionOCF / Net Profit
1.70×
3.43×
TTM Free Cash FlowTrailing 4 quarters
$145.9M
$-27.3M

8-quarter trend — quarters aligned by calendar period.

Operating Cash Flow
KAI
KAI
LINC
LINC
Q4 25
$43.5M
Q3 25
$47.3M
$23.9M
Q2 25
$40.5M
$299.0K
Q1 25
$22.8M
$-8.4M
Q4 24
$51.9M
$30.3M
Q3 24
$52.5M
$5.6M
Q2 24
$28.1M
$8.3M
Q1 24
$22.8M
$-14.9M
Free Cash Flow
KAI
KAI
LINC
LINC
Q4 25
$25.0M
Q3 25
$44.1M
$2.0M
Q2 25
$36.5M
$-26.1M
Q1 25
$19.0M
$-28.3M
Q4 24
$46.3M
$5.5M
Q3 24
$48.3M
$-13.8M
Q2 24
$23.1M
$-2.7M
Q1 24
$16.6M
$-16.6M
FCF Margin
KAI
KAI
LINC
LINC
Q4 25
17.5%
Q3 25
16.2%
1.4%
Q2 25
14.3%
-22.4%
Q1 25
7.9%
-24.1%
Q4 24
17.9%
4.6%
Q3 24
17.8%
-12.0%
Q2 24
8.4%
-2.6%
Q1 24
6.7%
-16.1%
Capex Intensity
KAI
KAI
LINC
LINC
Q4 25
13.0%
Q3 25
1.2%
15.5%
Q2 25
1.6%
22.7%
Q1 25
1.6%
16.9%
Q4 24
2.2%
20.8%
Q3 24
1.5%
16.9%
Q2 24
1.8%
10.7%
Q1 24
2.5%
1.6%
Cash Conversion
KAI
KAI
LINC
LINC
Q4 25
3.43×
Q3 25
1.70×
6.29×
Q2 25
1.55×
0.19×
Q1 25
0.95×
-4.31×
Q4 24
2.16×
4.43×
Q3 24
1.66×
1.42×
Q2 24
0.90×
Q1 24
0.92×

Financial Flow Comparison

Revenue → gross profit → operating profit → net profit for each company.

Revenue Breakdown by Segment

KAI
KAI

Flow Control$94.8M35%
Capital$83.2M31%
Material Handling Systems$70.3M26%
Transferred Over Time$17.1M6%
Other$6.1M2%

LINC
LINC

Transferred Over Time$136.0M95%
Transferred At Point In Time$6.9M5%

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