Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Upgraded at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday.

Other research analysts have also recently issued reports about the stock. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. They set a neutral rating and a $94.00 target price on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Freshpet from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. DA Davidson upped their price target on shares of Freshpet from $104.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Wednesday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their price target on shares of Freshpet from $67.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Freshpet from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $107.36.

Freshpet Price Performance

Freshpet stock opened at $106.36 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $107.77 and a 200 day moving average price of $86.81. Freshpet has a 1 year low of $54.60 and a 1 year high of $117.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 4.08 and a current ratio of 4.79. The company has a market cap of $5.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -149.80 and a beta of 1.23.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 26th. The company reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.22. Freshpet had a negative net margin of 4.38% and a negative return on equity of 3.56%. The business had revenue of $215.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $204.93 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.06) earnings per share. The business’s revenue for the quarter was up 29.9% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts predict that Freshpet will post 0.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Freshpet

In other news, COO Scott James Morris sold 3,632 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.86, for a total transaction of $399,011.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 122,380 shares in the company, valued at $13,444,666.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, COO Scott James Morris sold 3,632 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, March 15th. The shares were sold at an average price of $109.86, for a total transaction of $399,011.52. Following the completion of the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 122,380 shares in the company, valued at $13,444,666.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 7,130 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.53, for a total transaction of $773,818.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 85,056 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,231,127.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 15,762 shares of company stock worth $1,737,280. Insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Freshpet

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. RiverPark Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Freshpet during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new position in Freshpet during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in Freshpet by 100.8% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 263 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the period. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Freshpet during the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Quarry LP acquired a new position in Freshpet during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000.

About Freshpet

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.