Medifast (NYSE:MED) Price Target Lowered to $12.00 at Stephens

Medifast (NYSE:MED) had its price target cut by Stephens from $15.00 to $12.00 in a research note published on Thursday morning, MarketBeat.com reports. They currently have an equal weight rating on the specialty retailer’s stock.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the company. Weiss Ratings restated a “sell (d)” rating on shares of Medifast in a research report on Thursday, January 22nd. Wall Street Zen upgraded shares of Medifast from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, December 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has an average rating of “Reduce” and a consensus price target of $12.00.

Medifast Stock Down 1.5%

Medifast stock opened at $10.55 on Thursday. Medifast has a 12-month low of $10.10 and a 12-month high of $15.48. The stock has a market cap of $115.94 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -6.17 and a beta of 0.53. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $11.30 and its 200 day simple moving average is $12.29.

Medifast (NYSE:MED) last issued its earnings results on Tuesday, February 17th. The specialty retailer reported ($0.55) EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.76) by $0.21. The company had revenue of $75.10 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $71.40 million. Medifast had a negative net margin of 4.84% and a negative return on equity of 4.27%. Medifast has set its FY 2026 guidance at -2.750–1.55 EPS and its Q1 2026 guidance at -0.700–0.15 EPS. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Medifast will post 0.51 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Medifast

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MED. Corient Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Medifast during the 4th quarter worth about $139,000. Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Medifast by 11.1% during the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 44,773 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $478,000 after purchasing an additional 4,462 shares during the last quarter. Man Group plc boosted its position in Medifast by 10.8% during the fourth quarter. Man Group plc now owns 236,500 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $2,526,000 after purchasing an additional 23,070 shares during the last quarter. Trexquant Investment LP grew its stake in Medifast by 88.0% in the fourth quarter. Trexquant Investment LP now owns 126,959 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock valued at $1,356,000 after purchasing an additional 59,439 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its position in shares of Medifast by 24.4% during the 4th quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 22,905 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $245,000 after purchasing an additional 4,500 shares during the last quarter. 95.51% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Key Stories Impacting Medifast

Here are the key news stories impacting Medifast this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Q4 results beat near?term estimates — reported EPS of ($0.55) vs. consensus ($0.76) and revenue of $75.1M vs. ~$71.4M expected, showing some operational resilience despite headwinds. Earnings Call Summary
• Positive Sentiment: Company highlights a strategic pivot to “metabolic health” that management says is already lifting early coach productivity — a potential multi?quarter positive if execution continues. Deep Dive
• Neutral Sentiment: Management outlined a 2026 revenue target range of $270M–$300M and a CEO transition, signaling long?term targets but adding near?term execution risk. 2026 Revenue Target & CEO Transition
• Neutral Sentiment: Corporate real estate move: Medifast will leave its Harbor East headquarters — operational detail with limited direct near?term financial impact. HQ Move
• Neutral Sentiment: Full earnings call transcripts and coverage are available for investors wanting more color on management’s turnaround plan and assumptions. Earnings Transcript
• Negative Sentiment: Revenue fell sharply year?over?year (~37% decline reported by some outlets), highlighting the loss of OPTAVIA coaches and persistent top?line pressure. Revenue Decline Report
• Negative Sentiment: Management issued weak FY?2026 and Q1 guidance (FY26 EPS range roughly -2.75 to -1.55; Q1 -0.70 to -0.15), increasing near?term downside risk and uncertainty. Guidance Detail
• Negative Sentiment: Stephens cut its price target from $15 to $12 and moved to an “equal weight” rating, pressuring sentiment and signaling lower analyst conviction. Analyst Price Target Cut
• Negative Sentiment: Analyst and market commentary characterize the turnaround as risky, keeping upside contingent on successful coach retention and execution of the metabolic health strategy. Turnaround Risk Analysis

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.