Medifast, the Owings Mills-based diet food company, reported higher sales and higher profits yesterday. Let's see if they can sustain growth this time. The stock is still way below levels of a few years ago.

OWINGS MILLS, Md., April 29 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Medifast, Inc. (NYSE: MED - News) announced today first quarter financial results for the period ended March 31, 2009.

First Quarter highlights included:

First quarter revenues increased 34% compared to 2008 to $33.7 million;
Diluted EPS for the quarter increased 70% to $0.17 versus $0.10 year-over-year;
Direct sales segment, Take Shape for Life, increased sales 92% year-over-year for the quarter;
Medifast Weight Control Centers quarterly revenues increased 72%;
Improvement achieved in direct response revenue-to-spend ratio;
Operating margins improve to 11.9% versus 8.2% in the comparable quarter