Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Lowers Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Price Target to $62.00

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) had its price target dropped by equities research analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $69.00 to $62.00 in a research report issued to clients and investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage currently has a “hold” rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 9.99% from the stock’s current price.

Several other brokerages also recently issued reports on FRPT. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Freshpet from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 target price on the stock in a research note on Friday, March 20th. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and issued a $90.00 price objective on shares of Freshpet in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on Freshpet from $80.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Freshpet from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Freshpet from $65.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.00.

Freshpet Stock Up 0.8%

NASDAQ:FRPT traded up $0.44 during trading hours on Monday, reaching $56.37. 284,745 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,495,865. Freshpet has a 1 year low of $46.76 and a 1 year high of $89.80. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.77 billion, a P/E ratio of 22.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.66. The business’s 50-day moving average price is $72.26 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $62.25. The company has a current ratio of 5.54, a quick ratio of 4.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $285.23 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $285.66 million. Freshpet had a return on equity of 6.93% and a net margin of 12.63%.Freshpet’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned $0.36 EPS. Analysts predict that Freshpet will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Freshpet

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Freshpet by 2.5% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,281,833 shares of the company’s stock valued at $321,822,000 after buying an additional 128,499 shares during the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its position in shares of Freshpet by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,937,309 shares of the company’s stock worth $239,900,000 after acquiring an additional 162,293 shares during the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its stake in Freshpet by 30.9% during the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,952,767 shares of the company’s stock valued at $118,982,000 after acquiring an additional 461,444 shares in the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its stake in Freshpet by 7.1% during the fourth quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 1,587,691 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,738,000 after acquiring an additional 104,913 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Armistice Capital LLC increased its holdings in Freshpet by 5.0% in the 4th quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 1,296,000 shares of the company’s stock valued at $78,965,000 after acquiring an additional 61,198 shares during the last quarter.

Freshpet Company Profile

Freshpet Inc (NASDAQ: FRPT) is a leading pet food company specializing in fresh, refrigerated meals and treats for dogs and cats. The company’s products are formulated with carefully selected, natural ingredients and are designed to offer a higher level of nutrition and freshness than traditional dry or canned pet foods. Freshpet’s offerings include refrigerated rolls, pâtés and snacks, all of which are sold through the refrigerated section of grocery, mass-market and pet specialty stores.

Freshpet’s product portfolio is built around the concept of fresh, minimally processed recipes that do not require preservatives or artificial colors.