The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ:MIDD) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Brokerages

Shares of The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ:MIDD) have been assigned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the eight ratings firms that are presently covering the stock, Marketbeat.com reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, two have given a hold recommendation and five have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average 1 year price objective among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $174.1667.

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Wall Street Zen lowered shares of Middleby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Middleby from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $187.00 price target on shares of Middleby and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Zacks Research cut shares of Middleby from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, January 26th. Finally, KeyCorp upped their target price on Middleby from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th.

Middleby Stock Performance

NASDAQ MIDD opened at $150.78 on Monday. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $155.78 and a 200 day moving average price of $140.52. The company has a market capitalization of $7.11 billion, a P/E ratio of -26.31 and a beta of 1.36. Middleby has a 1-year low of $110.82 and a 1-year high of $169.44. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a current ratio of 2.57 and a quick ratio of 1.92.

Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The industrial products company reported $2.14 EPS for the quarter, missing analysts’ consensus estimates 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 for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $2.88 earnings per share. The firm’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. Sell-side analysts expect that Middleby will post 9.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Middleby

In related news, Director Robert A. Nerbonne purchased 780 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $128.52 per share, with a total value of $100,245.60. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 21,471 shares in the company, valued at $2,759,452.92. The trade was a 3.77% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 6.18% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Middleby

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MIDD. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC grew its holdings in shares of Middleby by 0.6% during the second quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 692,764 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $99,758,000 after buying an additional 4,204 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Middleby in the second quarter valued at approximately $478,000. Olstein Capital Management L.P. lifted its stake in shares of Middleby by 34.2% during the third quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. now owns 57,000 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $7,577,000 after buying an additional 14,538 shares during the period. Vestor Capital LLC boosted its position in Middleby by 268.0% during the second quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 3,680 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $530,000 after acquiring an additional 2,680 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Wedge Capital Management L L P NC acquired a new stake in Middleby during the third quarter worth approximately $11,701,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 98.55% of the company’s stock.

About Middleby

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.