Should I Buy MAC? MAC 2026 Analysis

Should You Buy Macerich Co (MAC) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Conclusion

Hold

Latest Price

18.680

1 Day change

4.36%

52 Week Range

20.920

Analysis Updated At

2026/01/30

MAC is not a good buy right now for an impatient investor. The setup is range-bound near the pivot with only mild momentum, options positioning is neutral (no strong bullish pressure), and near-term statistical patterning points to limited upside over the next week and a higher risk of weakness over the next month. I would wait for either a cleaner technical breakout above ~$18.74–$19.02 or a pullback toward support (~$17.80) before considering a new entry.

Technical Analysis

Price is sitting just above the key pivot (18.27) and below first resistance (R1 18.736), which suggests consolidation rather than a clean trend. RSI(6) at ~63 is mildly bullish but not overbought; MACD histogram (-0.0478) remains below zero, though it’s contracting (bearish momentum is fading, but not flipped bullish). Moving averages are converging, reinforcing a sideways/transition regime. Levels to watch: support S1 17.804 (then S2 17.516); resistance R1 18.736 and R2 19.024. Pattern-based forward read provided indicates ~70% chance of -0.27% next day, ~flat next week, and -4.21% next month—skewing risk/reward against chasing now. **Intellectia Proprietary Trading Signals** - [AI Stock Picker](module://ai_stock_pick): No signal on given stock today. - [SwingMax](module://swingmax): No signal on given stock today.

Options Data

Bullish

Open Interest Put-Call Ratio

Neutral

Option Volume Put-Call Ratio

Options sentiment is essentially neutral-to-slightly bullish (put/call ratios just under 1), but conviction looks low: total volume is light (88 contracts) and well below the 30-day average (~34% of average). IV (30d) ~35.78 vs historical vol ~30.37 indicates a modest volatility premium, while IV percentile ~48 is mid-range (not signaling extreme fear/greed). Net: options are not confirming a strong directional bullish bet right now.

Technical Summary

Sell

Buy

Positive Catalysts

- Analysts remain broadly constructive with Buy/Outperform ratings and targets clustered around $19–$21 (implying upside from the ~$18–$19 area).
- Revenue growth and gross margin improvement in 2025/Q3 suggest leasing/asset performance is holding up.
- Potential event catalyst: QDEC 2025 earnings on 2026-02-11 (after hours) could re-rate the stock if results/FFO outlook surprise positively.

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

- Profitability remains weak: 2025/Q3 net income and EPS were negative and deteriorated YoY.
- Sector/stock-specific concern persists around mall REITs and leverage; at least one analyst explicitly cited an over-levered balance sheet as a headwind versus peers.
- No recent positive news flow; near-term quantitative trend read provided skews negative over a 1-month horizon.
- No supportive positioning signals from insiders, hedge funds, or proprietary trading signals in the data provided.

Financial Performance

Latest reported quarter: 2025/Q3. Revenue rose to $253.262M (+15% YoY) and gross margin improved to ~20.45 (+4.5% YoY), showing top-line momentum and better unit economics. However, net income fell to -$87.554M (down 19.26% YoY) and EPS declined to -$0.34 (down 32% YoY), indicating that despite stronger revenue/margins, overall profitability/earnings quality is still pressured.

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

Recent Wall Street trend: price targets have generally moved up into the $19–$21 range with multiple Buy/Outperform stances maintained (Truist raised to $20 on 2026-01-20; Mizuho raised to $21 on 2026-01-09; Jefferies raised to $21 on 2025-12-15). There was also a late-2025 Truist target cut to $19 tied to higher/earlier dispositions and de-levering impacts on estimates. Pros cited: improving REIT fundamentals, high-quality assets/demographics, retail leasing backlog supportive of NOI growth. Cons cited: mall REIT caution, higher rates, and leverage/over-levered balance sheet making earnings growth harder. Influential/political activity: no recent congress trading data available; hedge fund and insider trends are reported as neutral.

10 Analyst Rating

Wall Street analysts forecast MAC stock price to rise over the next 12 months. According to Wall Street analysts, the average 1-year price target for MAC is 19.8 USD with a low forecast of 18 USD and a high forecast of 23 USD. However, analyst price targets are subjective and often lag stock prices, so investors should focus on the objective reasons behind analyst rating changes, which better reflect the company's fundamentals.

5 Buy

4 Hold

1 Sell

Moderate Buy

Current: 17.900

Low

Averages

19.8

High

Current: 17.900

Low

Averages

19.8

High

Truist

NULL -> Buy

upgrade

$19 -> $20

AI Analysis

2026-01-20

Reason

Truist

Price Target

$19 -> $20

AI Analysis

2026-01-20

upgrade

NULL -> Buy

Reason

Truist raised the firm's price target on Macerich to $20 from $19 and keeps a Buy rating on the shares. The firm adjusted ratings and targets in the real estate investment trust group as part of its 2026 outlook. Truist remains Neutral on REITs for 2026, saying fundamentals are improving as new supply slows and demand appears steady for high-quality assets. However, the stocks do not appear particularly cheap, the analyst tells investors in a research note. Truist is relatively bullish on healthcare, industrial, strip retail, gaming and lodging REITs, neutral on manufactured housing, multifamily, self-storage and triple net, and relatively cautious on mall and office.

Mizuho

Outperform

maintain

$18 -> $21

2026-01-09

Reason

Mizuho

Price Target

$18 -> $21

2026-01-09

maintain

Outperform

Reason

Mizuho raised the firm's price target on Macerich to $21 from $18 and keeps an Outperform rating on the shares. The firm downgraded the shopping center real estate investment trust sector to Neutral, believing the group has reached peak fundamentals with portfolios approaching or surpassing all-time high occupancy levels.

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MAC Should I Buy

MAC Should I Buy

Should You Buy Macerich Co (MAC) Today? Analysis, Price Targets, and 2026 Outlook.

Technical Analysis

Options Data

Technical Summary

Positive Catalysts

Neutral/Negative Catalysts

Financial Performance

Growth

Profitability

Efficiency

Analyst Ratings and Price Target Trends

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