What is Zacks Research's Forecast for Medifast Q2 Earnings?

Key Points

• Zacks Research cut its Q2 2026 EPS estimate for Medifast to a loss of $0.68 per share from a prior estimate of a $0.42 loss, signaling a more cautious outlook for the quarter.
• Medifast most recently beat Wall Street expectations in Q1, posting EPS of -$0.19 versus an expected -$0.55 and revenue of $76.04 million versus $69.20 million estimated.
• The stock remains under pressure from analysts, with a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average target price of $12.00, even as some insiders recently bought shares.

Medifast Inc (NYSE:MED - Free Report) - Investment analysts at Zacks Research dropped their Q2 2026 EPS estimates for shares of Medifast in a research note issued to investors on Monday, May 25th. Zacks Research analyst Team now expects that the specialty retailer will earn ($0.68) per share for the quarter, down from their previous estimate of ($0.42). The consensus estimate for Medifast's current full-year earnings is ($2.00) per share. Zacks Research also issued estimates for Medifast's Q3 2026 earnings at ($0.60) EPS, Q4 2026 earnings at ($0.50) EPS, FY2026 earnings at ($1.97) EPS, Q1 2027 earnings at ($0.17) EPS, Q2 2027 earnings at ($0.66) EPS, Q3 2027 earnings at ($0.58) EPS, Q4 2027 earnings at ($0.48) EPS, FY2027 earnings at ($1.89) EPS, Q1 2028 earnings at ($0.15) EPS and FY2028 earnings at ($1.81) EPS.

MED has been the subject of several other reports. Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Medifast from a "sell (d-)" rating to a "sell (e+)" rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. Stephens reduced their target price on shares of Medifast from $15.00 to $12.00 and set an "equal weight" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, February 19th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Medifast from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of "Reduce" and an average target price of $12.00.

Medifast Trading Down 3.3%

Medifast stock opened at $12.66 on Thursday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $11.16 and a 200 day moving average of $11.12. The firm has a market capitalization of $140.77 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.92 and a beta of 0.55. Medifast has a 12-month low of $9.22 and a 12-month high of $15.46.

Medifast (NYSE:MED - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The specialty retailer reported ($0.19) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.55) by $0.36. The company had revenue of $76.04 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $69.20 million. Medifast had a negative net margin of 5.78% and a negative return on equity of 4.80%. Medifast has set its FY 2026 guidance at -2.750--1.550 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at -1.000--0.500 EPS.

Institutional Trading of Medifast

Several hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of MED. Amundi raised its holdings in shares of Medifast by 43.5% during the 1st quarter. Amundi now owns 30,439 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $398,000 after acquiring an additional 9,224 shares in the last quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC raised its holdings in shares of Medifast by 14.5% during the 1st quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 199,750 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $2,693,000 after acquiring an additional 25,366 shares in the last quarter. Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in shares of Medifast during the 1st quarter worth approximately $78,000. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its holdings in shares of Medifast by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 53,341 shares of the specialty retailer's stock worth $749,000 after acquiring an additional 1,316 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Prudential Financial Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Medifast during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $200,000. 95.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Insider Activity at Medifast

In other news, Director Scott Schlackman acquired 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated 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 acquisition, the director directly owned 30,549 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $382,778.97. The trade was a 8.91% increase in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO Daniel R. Chard acquired 17,678 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 20th. The shares were purchased at an average cost of $10.11 per share, for a total transaction of $178,724.58. Following the completion of the acquisition, the chief executive officer directly owned 17,678 shares in the company, valued at approximately $178,724.58. This represents a ∞ increase in their ownership of the stock. Additional details regarding this purchase are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders have bought a total of 22,678 shares of company stock worth $241,675 over the last ninety days. Insiders own 3.70% of the company's stock.

About Medifast

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.

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