Zacks Research Has Pessimistic View of Middleby Q2 Earnings

The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ:MIDD) – Investment analysts at Zacks Research lowered their Q2 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Middleby in a research note issued on Wednesday, January 21st. Zacks Research analyst Team now anticipates that the industrial products company will post earnings per share of $2.32 for the quarter, down from their previous forecast of $2.39. Zacks Research has a “Strong-Buy” rating on the stock. The consensus estimate for Middleby’s current full-year earnings is $9.11 per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Middleby’s Q3 2026 earnings at $2.22 EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at $2.80 EPS, FY2026 earnings at $9.21 EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at $1.87 EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at $2.42 EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at $2.39 EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at $2.56 EPS and FY2027 earnings at $9.24 EPS.

Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $2.37 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $982.13 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $961.21 million. Middleby had a negative net margin of 5.22% and a positive return on equity of 14.66%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.2% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business posted $2.33 EPS. Middleby has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.990-9.140 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.190-2.340 EPS.

Several other brokerages have also commented on MIDD. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Middleby in a research report on Monday, December 29th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Middleby from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Barclays set a $168.00 price objective on shares of Middleby and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. KeyCorp reissued an “overweight” rating on shares of Middleby in a report on Friday, December 5th. Finally, Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Middleby from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Saturday, November 8th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have assigned a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Middleby has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.83.

Middleby Trading Down 2.2%

Shares of NASDAQ MIDD opened at $146.37 on Thursday. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $139.50 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $136.67. Middleby has a 52-week low of $110.82 and a 52-week high of $182.73. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.37 billion, a P/E ratio of -33.27 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 2.07 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69.

Institutional Trading of Middleby

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Danske Bank A S bought a new position in Middleby in the 3rd quarter worth about $27,000. Migdal Insurance & Financial Holdings Ltd. acquired a new position in shares of Middleby during the second quarter worth approximately $30,000. Allworth Financial LP boosted its position in shares of Middleby by 168.8% during the second quarter. Allworth Financial LP now owns 207 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 130 shares during the period. TFC Financial Management Inc. grew its holdings in Middleby by 23,000.0% in the 3rd quarter. TFC Financial Management Inc. now owns 231 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $31,000 after buying an additional 230 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its position in Middleby by 135.6% in the 3rd quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 245 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $33,000 after acquiring an additional 141 shares during the period. 98.55% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Insider Transactions at Middleby

In other news, Director Robert A. Nerbonne purchased 780 shares of Middleby stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was bought at an average price 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 $2,759,452.92. The trade was a 3.77% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. Insiders own 6.18% of the company’s stock.

Key Headlines Impacting Middleby

Here are the key news stories impacting Middleby this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Zacks kept a “Strong‑Buy” rating on MIDD, which may temper downside from the estimate cuts by signaling continued conviction in the company’s medium‑term outlook. MarketBeat MIDD page
• Neutral Sentiment: The consensus full‑year EPS view remains roughly intact (market consensus ~ $9.11), so the revisions are mostly small tweaks to timing rather than a large downward reset to long‑term expectations.
• Negative Sentiment: Zacks trimmed FY2027 EPS to $9.24 from $9.35 and cut FY2026 to $9.21 from $9.31 — modest downward revisions that reduce upside vs. prior estimates.
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple quarterly forecasts were lowered: Q2 2026 to $2.32 (from $2.39), Q3 2026 to $2.22 (from $2.24), Q4 2026 to $2.80 (from $2.82), Q1 2027 to $1.87 (from $1.89), Q2 2027 to $2.42 (from $2.45), Q3 2027 to $2.39 (from $2.41), and Q4 2027 to $2.56 (from $2.59). These across‑the‑board small cuts suggest slightly weaker near‑term cadence but not a structural earnings downgrade.

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.