Wall Street Zen Upgrades Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) to Buy

Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) was upgraded by stock analysts at Wall Street Zen from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently commented on the company. Barclays restated an “overweight” rating and set a $190.00 price target (up from $168.00) on shares of Middleby in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Weiss Ratings reiterated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Middleby in a research report on Friday, May 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on shares of Middleby from $185.00 to $151.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $200.00 target price on shares of Middleby in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Finally, Oppenheimer initiated coverage on shares of Middleby in a report on Wednesday, June 17th. They issued an “outperform” rating and a $205.00 target price on the stock. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $178.25.

Middleby Stock Performance

NASDAQ MIDD opened at $133.22 on Monday. The firm has a market cap of $6.02 billion, a P/E ratio of -15.71 and a beta of 1.33. Middleby has a 52-week low of $110.82 and a 52-week high of $180.13. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $154.85 and its 200 day moving average price is $151.04. The company has a quick ratio of 1.10, a current ratio of 1.96 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.22. Middleby had a positive return on equity of 15.94% and a negative net margin of 11.46%.The firm had revenue of $839.91 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $777.19 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $2.08 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. Middleby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.540-9.700 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.270-2.390 EPS. On average, equities research analysts expect that Middleby will post 9.54 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Middleby

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Torren Management LLC acquired a new position in shares of Middleby during the 4th quarter worth $25,000. Clearstead Advisors LLC lifted its stake in shares of Middleby by 201.8% in the fourth quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 166 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. Danske Bank A S purchased a new stake in Middleby during the third quarter worth about $27,000. Larson Financial Group LLC boosted its holdings in Middleby by 1,292.9% during the fourth quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 195 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 181 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Elevation Wealth Partners LLC grew its position in Middleby by 553.8% during the second quarter. Elevation Wealth Partners LLC now owns 170 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $29,000 after buying an additional 144 shares during the period. Institutional investors and hedge funds 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.