StockNews.com Upgrades Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) to “Hold”

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) was upgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note issued on Tuesday.

Several other brokerages have also issued reports on FRPT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on shares of Freshpet from $126.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Freshpet from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Freshpet in a report on Friday, November 1st. TD Cowen raised their price target on Freshpet from $160.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Robert W. Baird raised their target price on shares of Freshpet from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Four research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.13.

Freshpet Trading Down 0.9 %

NASDAQ FRPT traded down $1.36 on Tuesday, reaching $155.08. The company had a trading volume of 358,407 shares, compared to its average volume of 585,987. Freshpet has a 52 week low of $66.36 and a 52 week high of $159.12. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $140.13 and its 200-day moving average is $131.39. The company has a quick ratio of 3.69, a current ratio of 4.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market cap of $7.53 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 174.25 and a beta of 1.39.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.10. Freshpet had a return on equity of 3.67% and a net margin of 4.75%. The company had revenue of $253.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $248.36 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted ($0.15) earnings per share. Freshpet’s revenue was up 26.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts predict that Freshpet will post 0.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, insider Thembeka Machaba sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.85, for a total transaction of $384,625.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 2,178 shares of Freshpet stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.01, for a total value of $304,941.78. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 86,039 shares in the company, valued at $12,046,320.39. This trade represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Thembeka Machaba sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.85, for a total value of $384,625.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in shares of Freshpet by 4.4% during the first quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 249,021 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,852,000 after purchasing an additional 10,456 shares in the last quarter. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Freshpet in the 1st quarter valued at $811,000. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new position in Freshpet during the second quarter valued at approximately $3,964,000. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Freshpet in the second quarter valued at $4,299,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Freshpet by 0.3% in the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,666,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $540,650,000 after buying an additional 13,709 shares in the last quarter.

Freshpet Company Profile

Freshpet, Inc, together with its subsidiaries, manufactures, distributes, and markets natural fresh meals and treats for dogs and cats in the United States, Canada, and Europe. It sells dog food, cat food, and dog treats under the Freshpet brand name; and Dognation and Dog Joy labels through various classes of retail, including grocery, mass, club, pet specialty, and natural, as well as online.