Middleby’s (MIDD) “Buy” Rating Reaffirmed at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group reaffirmed their buy rating on shares of Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday morning,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a $195.00 target price on the industrial products company’s stock.

Other analysts have also issued research reports about the company. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $187.00 target price on Middleby and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on shares of Middleby from $159.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on shares of Middleby from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Zacks Research lowered shares of Middleby from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Finally, Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Middleby in a report on Monday, December 29th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Middleby has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $177.14.

Middleby Price Performance

Shares of Middleby stock opened at $132.58 on Tuesday. The company has a current ratio of 2.57, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $151.55 and a 200-day simple moving average of $140.75. The stock has a market capitalization of $6.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -23.14 and a beta of 1.36. Middleby has a 1-year low of $110.82 and a 1-year high of $169.44.

Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 26th. The industrial products company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $2.27 by $0.15. The firm had revenue of $334.59 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. Middleby had a negative net margin of 7.44% and a positive return on equity of 14.57%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $2.88 EPS. Middleby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.200-9.360 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.900-2.020 EPS. On average, sell-side analysts expect that Middleby will post 9.11 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Middleby

A number of institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MIDD. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD lifted its position in shares of Middleby by 49.2% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,772,249 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $858,161,000 after buying an additional 1,902,957 shares during the period. Garden Investment Management L.P. raised its stake in Middleby by 3.1% during the fourth quarter. Garden Investment Management L.P. now owns 3,379,737 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $502,466,000 after acquiring an additional 102,903 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its stake in Middleby by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,153,171 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $320,112,000 after acquiring an additional 75,047 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its holdings in shares of Middleby by 4.1% during the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,486,120 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $220,950,000 after acquiring an additional 58,696 shares during the period. Finally, Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Middleby by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,461,810 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $194,318,000 after purchasing an additional 59,050 shares in the last quarter. 98.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

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.