The Middleby Corporation MIDD yesterday announced that it acquired Belgium-based Novy. The financial terms of the transactions have been kept under wraps.The company’s shares gained 1.14% yesterday, closing the trading session at $176.93. This is the company’s first acquisition so far in 2021. It also extended its proposal to purchase New Port Richey, FL-based Welbilt, Inc. WBT in April.Inside the HeadlinesNovy is engaged in the designing and manufacturing of premium cooker hoods, hobs, worktop cooker hoods and accessories for use in the residential market. Also, its technological expertise helps it to cater to the changing needs of customers.The firm generates $90 million in revenues annually and its earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) margin is >20%.The Novy buyout is expected to strengthen Middleby’s product offerings in the residential built-in cooking market. Also, deeper penetration of residential markets in the U.K. and the U.S. kitchen equipment markets will be a lot easier.Middleby’s Inorganic InitiativesWe believe that the above-mentioned transaction is consistent with the company’s policy of acquiring businesses for attracting customers, and gaining access to various regions and product lines. It invested $1.7 million in buyouts (net of cash acquired) in the first quarter of 2021. Sales in the quarter expanded 1.8% year over year, driven by synergistic benefits from acquisitions.In 2020, Middleby acquired RAM Fry Dispensers in January, Deutsche Beverage in March, and Wild Goose Filling and United Foodservice Equipment Group in December.Zacks Rank, Price Performance and Earnings EstimatesMiddleby, with a market capitalization of $9.7 billion, currently sports a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). The company is poised to benefit from synergistic gains from acquired assets, a solid product portfolio, a focus on innovation and a healthy liquidity position.In the past three months, its shares have gained 7.9% compared with the industry’s growth of 0.4%. Image Source: Zacks Investment Research The Zacks Consensus Estimate for Middleby’s earnings is pegged at $8.06 for 2021 and $9.12 for 2022, reflecting growth of 6.6% and 7.5% from the respective 60-day-ago figures. Also, the consensus estimate for the second quarter is pegged at $2.04, up from $1.91 recorded a couple of months ago.The Middleby Corporation Price and Consensus The Middleby Corporation price-consensus-chart | The Middleby Corporation QuoteOther Stocks to ConsiderTwo other top-ranked stocks in the industry are Nordson Corporation NDSN and Altra Industrial Motion Corp. AIMC. While Nordson presently sports a Zacks Rank #1, Altra Industrial carries a Zacks Rank #2 (Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.In the past 60 days, earnings estimates for these companies improved for the current year. Further, earnings surprise for the last reported quarter was a positive 28.48% for Nordson and 13.16% for Altra Industrial. Bitcoin, Like the Internet Itself, Could Change Everything Blockchain and cryptocurrency has sparked one of the most exciting discussion topics of a generation. Some call it the “Internet of Money” and predict it could change the way money works forever. If true, it could do to banks what Netflix did to Blockbuster and Amazon did to Sears. Experts agree we’re still in the early stages of this technology, and as it grows, it will create several investing opportunities. Zacks’ has just revealed 3 companies that can help investors capitalize on the explosive profit potential of Bitcoin and the other cryptocurrencies with significantly less volatility than buying them directly. See 3 crypto-related stocks now >>Want the latest recommendations from Zacks Investment Research? Today, you can download 7 Best Stocks for the Next 30 Days. Click to get this free report Nordson Corporation (NDSN): Free Stock Analysis Report The Middleby Corporation (MIDD): Free Stock Analysis Report Altra Industrial Motion Corp. (AIMC): Free Stock Analysis Report Welbilt, Inc. (WBT): Free Stock Analysis Report To read this article on Zacks.com click here. Zacks Investment Research