Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH Cuts Stock Holdings in The Middleby Corporation $MIDD

Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH reduced its stake in The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ:MIDD) by 98.1% during the 3rd quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 40,430 shares of the industrial products company’s stock after selling 2,050,013 shares during the period. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH’s holdings in Middleby were worth $5,374,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Clarkston Capital Partners LLC increased its holdings 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 worth $99,758,000 after purchasing an additional 4,204 shares during the period. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in shares of Middleby by 4.0% during the second quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 680,688 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $98,019,000 after buying an additional 26,022 shares in the last quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. increased its stake in shares of Middleby by 27.0% during the second quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 621,794 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $89,538,000 after buying an additional 132,191 shares during the period. Ameriprise Financial Inc. increased its stake in shares of Middleby by 21.3% during the second quarter. Ameriprise Financial Inc. now owns 592,168 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $85,272,000 after buying an additional 103,930 shares during the period. Finally, Aviso Financial Inc. raised its holdings in Middleby by 2.3% in the second quarter. Aviso Financial Inc. now owns 332,123 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $47,826,000 after acquiring an additional 7,322 shares in the last quarter. 98.55% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Robert A. Nerbonne acquired 780 shares of Middleby stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The stock was bought at an average price of $128.52 per share, for a total transaction of $100,245.60. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 21,471 shares in the company, valued at $2,759,452.92. This represents a 3.77% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 6.18% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

MIDD has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. Zacks Research raised shares of Middleby from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Canaccord Genuity Group boosted their target price on shares of Middleby from $171.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, December 5th. KeyCorp restated an “overweight” rating on shares of Middleby in a research note on Friday, December 5th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Middleby in a report on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Barclays set a $168.00 price objective on Middleby and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, five have given a Buy rating, one has given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Middleby has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.83.

Middleby Stock Performance

NASDAQ MIDD opened at $147.41 on Tuesday. The company has a fifty day moving average of $140.16 and a two-hundred day moving average of $136.49. The company has a market capitalization of $7.43 billion, a PE ratio of -33.50 and a beta of 1.39. The Middleby Corporation has a 1 year low of $110.82 and a 1 year high of $182.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a current ratio of 2.07 and a quick ratio of 1.10.

Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) last posted its earnings results on Thursday, November 6th. The industrial products company reported $2.37 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.03 by $0.34. The business had revenue of $982.13 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $961.21 million. Middleby had a positive return on equity of 14.66% and a negative net margin of 5.22%.The business’s revenue was up 4.2% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $2.33 earnings per share. Middleby has set its FY 2025 guidance at 8.990-9.140 EPS and its Q4 2025 guidance at 2.190-2.340 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that The Middleby Corporation will post 9.11 earnings per share for the current year.

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.