Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) Cut to “Hold” at Wall Street Zen

Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) was downgraded by investment analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued to investors on Saturday.

A number of other analysts also recently issued reports on the company. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $187.00 price objective on Middleby and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Middleby from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. KeyCorp boosted their price target on shares of Middleby from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Friday, February 27th. Robert W. Baird upped their price target on shares of Middleby from $159.00 to $197.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Finally, Zacks Research lowered shares of Middleby from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Five investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.17.

Middleby Stock Down 3.5%

MIDD opened at $150.78 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $7.11 billion, a PE ratio of -26.31 and a beta of 1.37. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $155.78 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $140.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 2.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. Middleby has a 52 week low of $110.82 and a 52 week high of $169.44.

Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The industrial products company reported $2.14 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.27 by ($0.13). Middleby had a positive return on equity of 14.57% and a negative net margin of 7.44%.The firm had revenue of $334.59 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same period last year, the firm posted $2.88 earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Middleby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.200-9.360 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.900-2.020 EPS. Analysts forecast that Middleby will post 9.11 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Robert A. Nerbonne acquired 780 shares of Middleby stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $128.52 per share, with a total value of $100,245.60. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 21,471 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,759,452.92. This trade represents a 3.77% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. 6.18% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Middleby

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of MIDD. Hsbc Holdings PLC purchased a new position in Middleby in the 4th quarter worth about $2,464,000. Aristides Capital LLC bought a new position in Middleby during the 4th quarter worth about $249,000. Kera Capital Partners Inc. increased its position in Middleby by 44.9% during the 4th quarter. Kera Capital Partners Inc. now owns 2,589 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $381,000 after purchasing an additional 802 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Middleby by 4,256.3% in the 4th quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 722,137 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $107,361,000 after purchasing an additional 705,560 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Invesco Ltd. raised its holdings in shares of Middleby by 40.6% in the 4th quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,432,021 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $212,899,000 after purchasing an additional 413,485 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.55% of the company’s stock.

Middleby Company Profile

Middleby Corporation is a global manufacturer and distributor of commercial foodservice and food processing equipment. The company designs, engineers and markets a wide range of cooking, baking, refrigeration, warewashing, holding and dispensing solutions. Middleby’s products serve restaurants, hotels, convenience stores, institutional cafeterias, cruise ships and other foodservice operators.

The company’s portfolio spans multiple well-known brands, including Blodgett ovens, TurboChef rapid‐cook ovens, Southbend ranges and broilers, Pitco fryers, and Viking residential and commercial kitchen appliances.