Medifast (NYSE:MED) Stock Price Breaks Above 200 Day Moving Average – Should You Sell?

Medifast Inc (NYSE:MED) shares crossed above its 200-day moving average during trading on Monday. The stock has a 200-day moving average of $11.43 and traded as high as $11.76. Medifast shares last traded at $11.6860, with a volume of 91,740 shares.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. Zacks Research lowered Medifast from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 11th. Weiss Ratings raised Medifast from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Reduce” and an average price target of $12.00.

Medifast Stock Performance

The firm has a market cap of $132.37 million, a P/E ratio of -5.08 and a beta of 0.68. The firm’s fifty day moving average price is $11.93 and its 200 day moving average price is $11.44.

Medifast (NYSE:MED) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The specialty retailer reported ($0.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.65) by $0.37. The firm had revenue of $76.38 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $72.70 million. Medifast had a negative net margin of 8.08% and a negative return on equity of 6.69%. Medifast has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.750–0.250 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at -0.650–0.150 EPS. As a group, analysts expect that Medifast Inc will post -1.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Parsa Kiai purchased 43,150 shares of Medifast stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was purchased at an average cost of $12.26 per share, with a total value of $529,019.00. Following the transaction, the director owned 707,492 shares in the company, valued at approximately $8,673,851.92. The trade was a 6.50% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, Director Daniel Chard sold 9,545 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.98, for a total value of $114,349.10. Following the sale, the director owned 140,153 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,679,032.94. This trade represents a 6.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The SEC filing for this sale provides additional information. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Insiders bought a total of 119,966 shares of company stock worth $1,423,576 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Medifast

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MED. State of Wyoming boosted its position in shares of Medifast by 19.8% in the 1st quarter. State of Wyoming now owns 6,646 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $68,000 after purchasing an additional 1,097 shares during the period. Ancora Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Medifast during the second quarter worth about $75,000. Quantinno Capital Management LP raised its stake in Medifast by 15.1% during the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 56,153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $572,000 after acquiring an additional 7,346 shares during the last quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP increased its stake in Medifast by 25.9% in the 2nd quarter. Engineers Gate Manager LP now owns 49,829 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $529,000 after buying an additional 10,249 shares during the period. Finally, Ieq Capital LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Medifast in the 2nd quarter worth $114,000. 95.51% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Medifast Company Profile

Medifast, Inc is a health and wellness company that provides weight-management and healthy-living products and services. Its primary brand, OPTAVIA, offers meal replacements, snacks, supplements and other nutrition products designed to support structured weight-management programs.

The company’s programs combine nutrition products with guidance from independent OPTAVIA Coaches. These coaches provide accountability, support and lifestyle guidance intended to help clients develop healthier eating and activity habits.

Medifast was founded in 1980 and is headquartered in Baltimore, Maryland.