Zacks Research Downgrades JBT Marel (NYSE:JBTM) to Hold

Key Points

• Zacks Research downgraded JBT Marel (NYSE:JBTM) from a "strong-buy" to a "hold," and Weiss Ratings also maintained a "hold," though the consensus remains a "Moderate Buy" with an average target of $174.50.
• Q4 beat but mixed fundamentals: JBT Marel reported $1.98 EPS on $1.01B revenue (revenue up 115.6% YoY) and set FY2026 guidance of 8.00–8.50 EPS, yet the stock trades near $119.35 with a negative P/E (-118.16) and a negative net margin (-1.33%).
• Insider sale and heavy institutional ownership: CEO Brian Deck sold 8,634 shares (~$1.3M) in March, while institutions own ~98.92% of the stock after several large funds established sizable positions.

JBT Marel (NYSE:JBTM - Get Free Report) was downgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a "strong-buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note issued to investors on Tuesday,Zacks.com reports.

Separately, Weiss Ratings reissued a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of JBT Marel in a research note on Tuesday, April 21st. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and two have given a Hold rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $174.50.

JBT Marel Price Performance

Shares of NYSE:JBTM opened at $119.35 on Tuesday. The company has a 50 day moving average of $136.73 and a 200 day moving average of $143.96. The stock has a market cap of $6.21 billion, a P/E ratio of -118.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.40 and a beta of 1.07. JBT Marel has a 12 month low of $99.84 and a 12 month high of $170.19. The company has a current ratio of 0.98, a quick ratio of 0.58 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.33.

JBT Marel (NYSE:JBTM - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported $1.98 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.92 by $0.06. The company had revenue of $1.01 billion during the quarter. JBT Marel had a negative net margin of 1.33% and a positive return on equity of 7.68%. JBT Marel's revenue was up 115.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $1.70 EPS. JBT Marel has set its FY 2026 guidance at 8.000-8.500 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that JBT Marel will post 8.19 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at JBT Marel

In other news, CEO Brian A. Deck sold 8,634 shares of the business's stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, March 3rd. The shares were sold at an average price of $150.51, for a total value of $1,299,503.34. Following the completion of the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 127,667 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,215,160.17. The trade was a 6.33% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 0.64% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On JBT Marel

A number of hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in JBTM. Alliancebernstein L.P. bought a new stake in shares of JBT Marel in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $135,854,000. Gildi lifeyrissjodur bought a new stake in shares of JBT Marel in the 4th quarter worth approximately $170,862,000. Norges Bank bought a new stake in shares of JBT Marel in the 4th quarter worth approximately $98,435,000. MIRAE ASSET GLOBAL ETFS HOLDINGS Ltd. bought a new stake in shares of JBT Marel in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $77,963,000. Finally, P2 Capital Partners LLC bought a new stake in shares of JBT Marel in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $65,536,000. 98.92% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

JBT Marel Company Profile

JBT Marel Corporation provides technology solutions to food and beverage industry in North America, Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Asia Pacific, and Latin America. It offers value-added processing that includes chilling, mixing/grinding, injecting, blending, marinating, tumbling, flattening, forming, portioning, coating, cooking, frying, freezing, extracting, pasteurizing, sterilizing, concentrating, high pressure processing, weighing, inspecting, filling, closing, sealing, end of line material handling, and packaging solutions to the food, beverage, and health market.

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