Medifast Inc (NYSE:MED) Sees Significant Decrease in Short Interest

Medifast Inc (NYSE:MED) was the recipient of a significant decline in short interest during the month of September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,053,225 shares, a decline of 43.4% from the September 15th total of 1,862,070 shares. Approximately 9.8% of the shares of the stock are sold short. Based on an average daily trading volume, of 144,284 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 7.3 days.

Insider Buying and Selling at Medifast

In related news, Director Daniel Chard sold 9,545 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $11.98, for a total transaction of $114,349.10. Following the sale, the director owned 140,153 shares in the company, valued at $1,679,032.94. The trade was a 6.38% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Parsa Kiai acquired 43,150 shares of Medifast stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $12.26 per share, for a total transaction of $529,019.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 707,492 shares in the company, valued at $8,673,851.92. The trade was a 6.50% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase is available in the SEC filing. Insiders have bought 119,966 shares of company stock valued at $1,423,576 over the last quarter. Company insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. BlackRock Inc. purchased a new stake in Medifast in the 2nd quarter valued at about $3,920,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in shares of Medifast in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $924,000. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in shares of Medifast in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $701,000. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Medifast in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $548,000. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new position in shares of Medifast in the second quarter valued at approximately $408,000. 95.51% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Medifast Stock Down 1.4%

MED traded down $0.17 during trading on Friday, reaching $11.89. 94,140 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 125,922. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $11.91 and its 200 day moving average is $11.48. Medifast has a 12 month low of $9.22 and a 12 month high of $13.58. The stock has a market capitalization of $132.93 million, a PE ratio of -5.10 and a beta of 0.68.

Medifast (NYSE:MED) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The specialty retailer reported ($0.28) earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.65) by $0.37. Medifast had a negative return on equity of 6.69% and a negative net margin of 8.08%. The firm had revenue of $76.38 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $72.70 million. 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, equities research analysts anticipate that Medifast will post -1.04 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research firms recently commented on MED. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Medifast from a “hold” rating to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings upgraded shares of Medifast from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a research report on Monday, August 17th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, one has assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, Medifast currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.00.

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.