The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ:MIDD) Short Interest Update

The Middleby Corporation (NASDAQ:MIDD) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest during the month of February. As of February 27th, there was short interest totaling 1,657,455 shares, a decline of 17.0% from the February 12th total of 1,996,915 shares. Currently, 3.7% of the company’s stock are sold short. Based on an average trading volume of 593,018 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.8 days. Based on an average trading volume of 593,018 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is presently 2.8 days. Currently, 3.7% of the company’s stock are sold short.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts have recently commented on the stock. KeyCorp increased their price target on shares of Middleby from $175.00 to $190.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Zacks Research cut shares of Middleby from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, January 26th. Canaccord Genuity Group set a $187.00 target price on shares of Middleby and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wall Street Zen lowered Middleby from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 7th. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Middleby from $159.00 to $197.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Friday, February 27th. Five research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, two have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $174.17.

Middleby Stock Performance

MIDD stock traded down $3.05 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $140.24. 46,717 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 628,420. The firm has a market capitalization of $6.62 billion, a PE ratio of -24.43 and a beta of 1.37. The business has a 50-day moving average of $155.10 and a two-hundred day moving average of $141.03. Middleby has a 52 week low of $110.82 and a 52 week high of $169.44. The company has a quick ratio of 1.92, a current ratio of 2.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.77.

Middleby (NASDAQ:MIDD) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 26th. The industrial products company reported $2.14 earnings per share for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $2.27 by ($0.13). The business had revenue of $334.59 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. Middleby had a positive return on equity of 14.57% and a negative net margin of 7.44%.Middleby’s revenue for the quarter was up 4.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted $2.88 EPS. Middleby has set its FY 2026 guidance at 9.200-9.360 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at 1.900-2.020 EPS. As a group, equities analysts predict that Middleby will post 9.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Middleby

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of MIDD. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised 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 during the last quarter. Garden Investment Management L.P. increased its holdings in shares of Middleby by 3.1% during the 4th quarter. Garden Investment Management L.P. now owns 3,379,737 shares of the industrial products company’s stock worth $502,466,000 after purchasing an additional 102,903 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised its position in shares of Middleby by 3.6% during the fourth quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 2,153,171 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $320,112,000 after buying an additional 75,047 shares during the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP lifted its stake in shares of Middleby by 4.1% in the fourth quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 1,486,120 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $220,950,000 after buying an additional 58,696 shares during the period. Finally, Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Middleby by 4.2% in the third quarter. Turtle Creek Asset Management Inc. now owns 1,461,810 shares of the industrial products company’s stock valued at $194,318,000 after buying an additional 59,050 shares during the period. 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.