Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) Upgraded by Wall Street Zen to Buy Rating

Key Points

• Wall Street Zen upgraded Middleby from “hold” to “buy,” adding a more bullish view to an already mixed analyst picture.
• Other firms remain divided: JPMorgan cut its target to $151 with a neutral rating, while Oppenheimer, Jefferies, and Barclays stayed positive; the stock’s consensus rating is still Moderate Buy with an average target of $178.25.
• Middleby recently beat quarterly expectations, reporting EPS of $2.16 and revenue of $839.91 million, and it provided FY2026 EPS guidance of $9.54 to $9.70.

Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD - Get Free Report) was upgraded by research analysts at Wall Street Zen from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a note issued to investors on Monday.

A number of other equities analysts also recently commented on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on shares of Middleby from $185.00 to $151.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Monday, July 13th. Oppenheimer assumed coverage on Middleby in a research note on Wednesday, June 17th. They issued an "outperform" rating and a $205.00 price target on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "sell (d+)" rating on shares of Middleby in a report on Friday, May 1st. Jefferies Financial Group lowered their price objective on Middleby from $200.00 to $160.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Barclays reiterated an "overweight" rating and issued a $190.00 price objective (up from $168.00) on shares of Middleby in a report on Friday, May 8th. Six analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, three have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $178.25.

Middleby Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:MIDD opened at $133.22 on Monday. Middleby has a fifty-two week low of $110.82 and a fifty-two week high of $180.13. The firm'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. The stock has a market cap of $6.02 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -15.71 and a beta of 1.33.

Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, May 7th. The industrial products company reported $2.16 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $1.94 by $0.22. Middleby had a negative net margin of 11.46% and a positive return on equity of 15.94%. The company had revenue of $839.91 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $777.19 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business posted $2.08 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 15.0% on a year-over-year basis. Middleby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.540-9.700 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at 2.270-2.390 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Middleby will post 9.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MIDD. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. lifted its stake in Middleby by 90.3% in the first quarter. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. now owns 432 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $66,000 after buying an additional 205 shares during the last quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC grew its position in shares of Middleby by 6.7% during the first quarter. UBS AM A Distinct Business Unit of UBS Asset Management Americas LLC now owns 157,149 shares of the industrial products company's stock worth $23,884,000 after acquiring an additional 9,936 shares during the last quarter. Focus Partners Wealth increased its holdings in shares of Middleby by 344.7% in the 1st quarter. Focus Partners Wealth now owns 2,228 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $339,000 after acquiring an additional 1,727 shares during the period. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Middleby by 280.2% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 327 shares of the industrial products company's stock valued at $47,000 after purchasing an additional 241 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Cresset Asset Management LLC purchased a new stake in Middleby in the 2nd quarter valued at $202,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 98.55% of the company's stock.

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.

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