Medifast Inc (NYSE:MED) Stock Short Interest Report for September

Medifast Inc (NYSE:MED) saw a significant decrease in short interest in September. As of September 30th, there was short interest totaling 1,053,225 shares, a decrease 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 short-interest ratio is presently 7.3 days.

Analyst Ratings Changes

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

Medifast Stock Up 1.6%

MED traded up $0.19 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $12.04. The company had a trading volume of 97,874 shares, compared to its average volume of 209,346. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $11.92 and its 200 day moving average price is $11.46. Medifast has a 52 week low of $9.22 and a 52 week high of $13.58. The company has a market capitalization of $134.62 million, a price-to-earnings ratio of -5.18 and a beta of 0.68.

Medifast (NYSE:MED) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 3rd. The specialty retailer reported ($0.28) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.65) by $0.37. The company had revenue of $76.38 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $72.70 million. Medifast had a negative net margin of 8.08% and a negative return on equity of 6.69%. Medifast has set its FY 2026 guidance at -1.750–0.250 EPS and its Q3 2026 guidance at -0.650–0.150 EPS. Research analysts predict that Medifast will post -1.04 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Medifast

In other news, Director Daniel Chard sold 9,545 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction 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 represents a 6.38% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing 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 purchased 43,150 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, August 26th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $12.26 per share, with a total value of $529,019.00. Following the completion of the purchase, 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 position. The SEC filing for this purchase provides additional information. 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

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in MED. BlackRock Inc. acquired a new stake in Medifast in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,920,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Medifast by 10.9% during the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 361,762 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $3,686,000 after purchasing an additional 35,522 shares during the period. Bank of America Corp DE acquired a new position in shares of Medifast during the second quarter worth approximately $924,000. Empowered Funds LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Medifast by 59.9% in the 1st quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 71,584 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $729,000 after purchasing an additional 26,811 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Quantinno Capital Management LP lifted its holdings in shares of Medifast by 15.1% in the 1st quarter. Quantinno Capital Management LP now owns 56,153 shares of the specialty retailer’s stock worth $572,000 after purchasing an additional 7,346 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors own 95.51% of the company’s stock.

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.