Leerink Partners Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Medline (NASDAQ:MDLN) Stock

Key Points

• Leerink Partners raised its Medline price target from $43 to $46 and maintained an Outperform rating, implying 15% upside from the cited $40 share price. Analysts’ consensus target is $46.15, with an overall Moderate Buy rating.
• Medline reported quarterly EPS of $0.44, beating the $0.32 consensus, on $7.86 billion in revenue. The company also plans a $1 billion share repurchase.
• Potential risks include substantial insider selling and a law-firm investigation into possible securities-fraud claims tied to alleged product-quality issues; the investigation is an allegation, not a finding of wrongdoing.

Medline (NASDAQ:MDLN - Get Free Report) had its target price lifted by research analysts at Leerink Partners from $43.00 to $46.00 in a report released on Thursday, Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an "outperform" rating on the stock. Leerink Partners's price target indicates a potential upside of 15.00% from the company's current price.

Other analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Barclays lowered their price objective on shares of Medline from $45.00 to $43.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Friday, October 9th. William Blair reiterated an "outperform" rating on shares of Medline in a report on Wednesday, September 23rd. Evercore set a $39.00 price target on Medline in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. BMO Capital Markets restated an "outperform" rating and set a $47.00 price target on shares of Medline in a research note on Thursday, August 6th. Finally, TD Cowen cut their price objective on Medline from $53.00 to $45.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, August 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have issued a Buy rating, four have given a Hold rating and two have issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $46.15.

Medline Price Performance

Shares of MDLN traded down $0.35 during trading hours on Thursday, reaching $40.00. 7,943,589 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 7,748,465. The company has a quick ratio of 2.61, a current ratio of 4.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66. The stock has a market capitalization of $52.59 billion and a PE ratio of 50.51. Medline has a fifty-two week low of $31.37 and a fifty-two week high of $50.88. The stock has a fifty day simple moving average of $34.58 and a 200 day simple moving average of $39.53.

Medline (NASDAQ:MDLN - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.44 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.32 by $0.12. The business had revenue of $7.86 billion during the quarter. As a group, research analysts predict that Medline will post 1.49 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Medline

In other news, major shareholder Private Ltd Gic sold 2,570,999 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Friday, October 2nd. The shares were sold at an average price of $35.35, for a total value of $90,884,814.65. Following the transaction, the insider owned 20,231,483 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $715,182,924.05. This trade represents a 11.28% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Over the last quarter, insiders have sold 8,538,960 shares of company stock valued at $302,807,442. Company insiders own 0.81% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Janus Henderson Group PLC grew its position in shares of Medline by 8.4% during the first quarter. Janus Henderson Group PLC now owns 11,451,861 shares of the company's stock worth $506,546,000 after buying an additional 887,240 shares in the last quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA raised its holdings in Medline by 2.0% in the third quarter. Banque Pictet & Cie SA now owns 7,455,089 shares of the company's stock valued at $258,692,000 after acquiring an additional 142,939 shares in the last quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund raised its holdings in Medline by 233.3% in the first quarter. Healthcare of Ontario Pension Plan Trust Fund now owns 5,000,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $222,500,000 after acquiring an additional 3,500,000 shares in the last quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. boosted its stake in Medline by 39,404.0% during the 1st quarter. Bessemer Group Inc. now owns 3,504,006 shares of the company's stock valued at $155,929,000 after acquiring an additional 3,495,136 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC boosted its stake in Medline by 30,255.5% during the 3rd quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 2,700,425 shares of the company's stock valued at $94,353,000 after acquiring an additional 2,691,529 shares during the last quarter.

Key Headlines Impacting Medline

Here are the key news stories impacting Medline this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Medline earned $0.44 per share, above the $0.32 consensus, on revenue of $7.86 billion. Reports also highlighted improved full-year growth expectations, although the company reaffirmed its adjusted EBITDA outlook. Medline Q3 2026 earnings
• Positive Sentiment: The company plans to repurchase $1 billion of shares, which could support per-share results and signal confidence in its business. Q3 beat and share buybacks
• Positive Sentiment: BTIG reaffirmed its Buy rating and set a $55 price target, implying substantial upside from the cited share price. Barclays also issued a Buy rating, adding to favorable analyst sentiment. Barclays rating
• Neutral Sentiment: Medline plans 2027 price increases to offset inflation. The move may help protect margins, but its impact will depend on customers’ ability and willingness to absorb higher prices. Pricing plans and Q3 results
• Negative Sentiment: A law firm announced an investigation into potential securities-fraud claims related to alleged product-quality issues and prior stock declines. The announcement is not a finding of wrongdoing, but the matter could create legal and reputational risk. Securities investigation announcement

Medline Company Profile

Medline Industries, Inc is a medical-supply manufacturer and distributor headquartered in Northfield, Illinois. The company provides products and supply-chain services to healthcare organizations, including hospitals, ambulatory surgery centers, physician offices, long-term care facilities, home health providers and other care settings.

Its product portfolio includes medical-surgical supplies, surgical and operating-room products, patient-care items, examination gloves, protective apparel, laboratory products, respiratory-care equipment, durable medical equipment and products for infection prevention.

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