Medifast (NYSE:MED) Raised to “Strong-Buy” at Zacks Research

Medifast (NYSE:MED) was upgraded by equities research analysts at Zacks Research from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note issued on Monday,Zacks.com reports.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on MED. Wall Street Zen upgraded Medifast from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, March 21st. Weiss Ratings cut Medifast from a “sell (d-)” rating to a “sell (e+)” rating in a report on Wednesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $12.00.

Medifast Stock Down 3.8%

Shares of NYSE MED opened at $10.62 on Monday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $11.77 and a 200-day simple moving average of $11.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $118.04 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.80 and a beta of 0.65. Medifast has a 52 week low of $9.22 and a 52 week high of $15.37.

Medifast (NYSE:MED) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 4th. The specialty retailer reported ($0.19) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.55) by $0.36. Medifast had a negative net margin of 5.78% and a negative return on equity of 4.80%. The firm had revenue of $76.04 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $69.20 million. Medifast has set its FY 2026 guidance at -2.750–1.550 EPS and its Q2 2026 guidance at -1.000–0.500 EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Medifast will post -1.97 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Medifast news, Director Scott Schlackman acquired 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, May 11th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $12.53 per share, for a total transaction of $31,325.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director owned 30,549 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $382,778.97. The trade was a 8.91% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Corporate insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Medifast

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MED. BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its stake in shares of Medifast by 103.1% in the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 2,338 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 1,187 shares during the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP purchased a new position in shares of Medifast during the 3rd quarter worth $37,000. Intesa Sanpaolo Wealth Management acquired a new stake in shares of Medifast during the 4th quarter worth about $47,000. State of Wyoming acquired a new stake in shares of Medifast during the 4th quarter worth about $59,000. Finally, Strs Ohio purchased a new stake in Medifast in the 1st quarter valued at about $78,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.51% of the company’s stock.

Medifast Company Profile

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.