Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Buys 123,945 Shares of The Middleby Corporation $MIDD

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ:MIDD) by 9.5% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 1,427,424 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after buying an additional 123,945 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP owned about 2.83% of Middleby worth $189,749,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC lifted its stake in Middleby by 0.6% during the 2nd quarter. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC now owns 692,764 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $99,758,000 after acquiring an additional 4,204 shares in the last quarter. Connor Clark & Lunn Investment Management Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of Middleby in the 2nd quarter worth $478,000. Olstein Capital Management L.P. raised its holdings in shares of Middleby by 34.2% in 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 purchasing an additional 14,538 shares during the last quarter. Vestor Capital LLC raised its holdings in shares of Middleby by 268.0% in the second quarter. Vestor Capital LLC now owns 3,680 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $530,000 after purchasing an additional 2,680 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Pacific Capital Partners Ltd bought a new position in shares of Middleby during the third quarter valued at about $2,144,000. 98.55% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts have issued reports on the stock. Barclays set a $168.00 price objective on shares of Middleby and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 11th. Zacks Research cut shares of Middleby from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Middleby from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Wednesday, January 14th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Middleby in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, KeyCorp lifted their price target on Middleby from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Friday, February 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Middleby presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $174.17.

Middleby Stock Performance

Shares of MIDD stock opened at $150.78 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.92 and a current ratio of 2.57. The firm has a market cap of $7.11 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -26.31 and a beta of 1.36. The Middleby Corporation has a 52 week low of $110.82 and a 52 week high of $169.44. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $155.78 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $140.52.

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

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Director Robert A. Nerbonne acquired 780 shares of Middleby stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was acquired 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 owned 21,471 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,759,452.92. This trade represents a 3.77% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Insiders own 6.18% 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.