Zacks Research Upgrades Medifast (NYSE:MED) to Strong-Buy

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 Tuesday, Zacks reports.

Separately, Weiss Ratings upgraded Medifast from a “sell (e+)” rating to a “sell (d)” rating in a report on Monday, August 17th. One 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’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Medifast currently has an average rating of “Hold” and a consensus target price of $12.00.

Medifast Trading Up 1.5%

MED stock opened at $11.84 on Tuesday. Medifast has a fifty-two week low of $9.22 and a fifty-two week high of $13.58. The business’s 50 day moving average price is $11.92 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $11.46.

Medifast (NYSE:MED) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 3rd. The specialty retailer reported ($0.28) EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates 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 company had revenue of $76.38 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations 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. Equities research analysts anticipate that Medifast will post -1.04 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Medifast

In other news, Director Daniel R. Chard sold 9,545 shares of Medifast stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, September 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $11.98, for a total transaction of $114,349.10. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 140,153 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,679,032.94. This trade represents a 6.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. The transaction was executed under a pre-arranged Rule 10b5-1 trading plan. Also, Director Parsa Kiai bought 43,150 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $12.26 per share, with a total value of $529,019.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 707,492 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,673,851.92. The trade was a 6.50% increase in their position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. Over the last three months, insiders have purchased 119,966 shares of company stock valued at $1,423,576. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Trading of Medifast

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. BlackRock Inc. bought a new position in Medifast during the 2nd quarter valued at approximately $3,920,000. Bank of America Corp DE purchased a new position in Medifast during the second quarter valued at $924,000. Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new position in Medifast during the second quarter valued at $701,000. Great Lakes Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Medifast in the second quarter worth $548,000. Finally, GSA Capital Partners LLP bought a new stake in Medifast in the second quarter worth $408,000. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 95.51% of the company’s stock.

About Medifast

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.