Jefferies Financial Group Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) Stock Price

Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) had its target price cut by analysts at Jefferies Financial Group from $200.00 to $160.00 in a report released on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the industrial products company’s stock. Jefferies Financial Group’s price objective would suggest a potential upside of 21.47% from the stock’s current price.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on the stock. Barclays reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $190.00 target price (up from $168.00) on shares of Middleby in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Middleby in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. They set an “outperform” rating and a $205.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d+)” rating on shares of Middleby in a report on Friday, May 1st. Wall Street Zen raised Middleby from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research report on Sunday, June 14th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Middleby from $150.00 to $185.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, May 8th. Seven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Middleby has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $187.25.

Middleby Price Performance

MIDD stock traded down $7.54 during trading on Wednesday, hitting $131.72. The stock had a trading volume of 202,161 shares, compared to its average volume of 634,161. The stock has a market cap of $5.96 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.54 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 1.96. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $156.70 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $151.92. Middleby has a 1-year low of $110.82 and a 1-year high of $180.13.

Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.16 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $839.91 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $777.19 million. Middleby had a negative net margin of 11.46% and a positive return on equity of 15.94%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 15.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the company earned $2.08 EPS. 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, sell-side analysts forecast that Middleby will post 9.58 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Middleby

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec increased its holdings in shares of Middleby by 2.2% during the 4th quarter. Federation des caisses Desjardins du Quebec now owns 4,317 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $642,000 after buying an additional 91 shares during the last quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC grew its position in Middleby by 64.2% during the first quarter. Root Financial Partners LLC now owns 261 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 102 shares during the period. Evoke Wealth LLC increased its stake in Middleby by 5.8% during the fourth quarter. Evoke Wealth LLC now owns 1,939 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $288,000 after acquiring an additional 107 shares during the last quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Middleby by 7.6% in the 3rd quarter. Cresset Asset Management LLC now owns 1,509 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $201,000 after purchasing an additional 107 shares during the period. Finally, Clearstead Advisors LLC raised its holdings in shares of Middleby by 201.8% in the 4th quarter. Clearstead Advisors LLC now owns 166 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $25,000 after purchasing an additional 111 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.