Medifast (NYSE:MED) Upgraded by Zacks Research to Strong-Buy Rating

Zacks Research upgraded shares of Medifast (NYSE:MED) from a hold rating to a strong-buy rating in a research report released on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

A number of other research firms also recently issued reports on MED. Weiss Ratings downgraded shares of Medifast from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Medifast from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Saturday, March 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.00.

Medifast Price Performance

Shares of MED opened at $10.62 on Monday. The firm’s 50 day simple moving average is $11.77 and its 200 day simple moving average is $11.13. The company has a market capitalization of $118.04 million, a P/E ratio of -5.80 and a beta of 0.65. Medifast has a 1-year low of $9.22 and a 1-year high of $15.37.

Medifast (NYSE:MED) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The specialty retailer reported ($0.19) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.55) by $0.36. Medifast had a negative net margin of 5.78% and a negative return on equity of 4.80%. The business had revenue of $76.04 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $69.20 million. Medifast has set its FY 2026 guidance at -2.750–1.550 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at -1.000–0.500 EPS. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Medifast will post -1.97 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, Director Scott Schlackman purchased 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, May 11th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $12.53 per share, with a total value of $31,325.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 30,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $382,778.97. This trade represents a 8.91% increase in their ownership of the stock. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 3.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Medifast

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Lido Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Medifast in the third quarter valued at about $4,521,000. Steamboat Capital Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Medifast during the fourth quarter worth about $2,952,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Medifast by 30.5% during the fourth quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 776,829 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $8,297,000 after purchasing an additional 181,618 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE boosted its holdings in shares of Medifast by 37.4% during the second quarter. Bank of America Corp DE now owns 396,369 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $5,569,000 after purchasing an additional 107,854 shares during the period. Finally, Victory Capital Management Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Medifast in the third quarter worth about $867,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.51% of the company’s stock.

Medifast Company Profile

Medifast, Inc (NYSE: MED) is a health and wellness company specializing in clinically supported weight-loss, weight-management and healthy living products and services. Through its OPTAVIA brand, the company offers a range of meal replacement products, snacks, supplements and coaching programs designed to support metabolic health and sustainable lifestyle changes. Medifast markets its products directly to consumers via a network of independent distributors—known as OPTAVIA Coaches—who provide personalized guidance and support throughout the client’s weight‐loss journey.

Founded in 1980 by William Vitale and headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland, Medifast has grown into a nationally recognized provider of nutrition and weight‐management solutions.