Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) Hits New 52-Week High After Earnings Beat

The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ:MIDD)’s stock price hit a new 52-week high during mid-day trading on Thursday following a better than expected earnings announcement. The company traded as high as $168.85 and last traded at $167.1410, with a volume of 470366 shares traded. The stock had previously closed at $157.78.

The industrial products company reported $2.42 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $2.27 by $0.15. Middleby had a positive return on equity of 14.66% and a negative net margin of 5.22%.The company had revenue of $866.43 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $2.88 earnings per share. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. Middleby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.200-9.360 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.900-2.020 EPS.

Middleby News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Middleby this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS beat: Middleby reported $2.42 EPS, topping consensus and showing profitability resilience despite tougher top-line conditions. Middleby: Q4 Earnings Snapshot
• Positive Sentiment: Spin-off leadership announced: Management named Mark Salman CEO and Mark Bowie COO for the Food Processing business ahead of an expected Q2 2026 IPO — a clarity move that can unlock value from the separation. Middleby Names Mark Salman…
• Positive Sentiment: Short interest fell ~19% in February, reducing a potential short-squeeze overhang and signaling lighter bearish positioning. (Internal reporting)
• Positive Sentiment: Institutional interest: Ayal Capital’s new ~$6.5M position suggests some investor conviction at recent levels. What’s Behind a New $6.5 Million Bet…
• Neutral Sentiment: Analyst and media coverage is focused on restaurant recovery themes and how that cyclical rebound could benefit Middleby’s foodservice equipment demand; coverage is framing the earnings as a mixed read amid recovery hopes. Middleby earnings in focus…
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue miss and mixed print: Revenue of $866.4M missed analyst estimates (~$1.01B), prompting caution despite the EPS beat — a key reason some investors tempered enthusiasm. Middleby stock edges down on revenue miss…
• Negative Sentiment: Conservative guidance: Q1 revenue guidance ($760M–$788M) and FY revenue guidance ($3.3B–$3.4B) sit well below consensus, and FY EPS guidance (9.20–9.36) is slightly below expectations — a material negative for near-term revenue growth assumptions. (Company guidance release)

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of brokerages have commented on MIDD. Barclays set a $168.00 target price on shares of Middleby and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 11th. KeyCorp reaffirmed an “overweight” rating on shares of Middleby in a report on Friday, December 5th. Zacks Research cut shares of Middleby from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on Middleby from $125.00 to $140.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Wednesday, January 14th. Finally, Canaccord Genuity Group set a $187.00 price objective on Middleby and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Middleby presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $165.83.

Insider Activity at Middleby

In other Middleby news, Director Robert A. Nerbonne bought 780 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, December 9th. The shares were bought at an average price of $128.52 per share, for a total transaction of $100,245.60. Following the transaction, the director owned 21,471 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,759,452.92. This trade represents a 3.77% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 6.18% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Middleby

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD grew its stake in Middleby by 49.2% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 5,772,249 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $858,161,000 after purchasing an additional 1,902,957 shares in the last quarter. Invesco Ltd. lifted its stake in shares of Middleby by 1,046.4% in the 3rd quarter. Invesco Ltd. now owns 1,018,536 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $135,394,000 after acquiring an additional 929,688 shares during the period. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. grew its holdings in Middleby by 4,256.3% during the fourth quarter. T. Rowe Price Investment Management Inc. now owns 722,137 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $107,361,000 after acquiring an additional 705,560 shares during the period. SG Capital Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Middleby during the 3rd quarter valued at $55,260,000. Finally, Cooke & Bieler LP purchased a new position in shares of Middleby in the fourth quarter worth approximately $48,113,000. 98.55% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Middleby Stock Performance

The firm has a 50 day moving average of $154.16 and a 200-day moving average of $138.96. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.69, a quick ratio of 1.10 and a current ratio of 2.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $8.44 billion, a PE ratio of -37.97 and a beta of 1.40.

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.