Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Director Buys $109,340.00 in Stock

Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) Director Walter George bought 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $54.67 per share, with a total value of $109,340.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director owned 50,746 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,774,283.82. This represents a 4.10% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link.

Freshpet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ:FRPT opened at $48.63 on Thursday. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.39 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.00 and a beta of 1.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a current ratio of 6.18 and a quick ratio of 5.26. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $65.92 and its 200-day simple moving average is $64.42. Freshpet, Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.76 and a 12 month high of $89.80.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $285.23 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $285.66 million. Freshpet had a return on equity of 6.22% and a net margin of 17.63%.Freshpet’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted $0.36 EPS. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.62 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FRPT has been the subject of several research reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised Freshpet from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $66.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Thursday, May 7th. Benchmark raised their target price on shares of Freshpet from $90.00 to $93.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, March 23rd. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Jefferies Financial Group reduced their price target on shares of Freshpet from $75.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, DA Davidson increased their price target on shares of Freshpet from $98.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Monday, April 13th. Eleven equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $74.88.

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Lido Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Freshpet during the 1st quarter worth about $205,000. Militia Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in Freshpet in the 1st quarter valued at about $542,000. First Trust Advisors LP purchased a new position in Freshpet in the 1st quarter valued at about $8,657,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its stake in shares of Freshpet by 9.3% during the 1st quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 917,785 shares of the company’s stock worth $54,103,000 after purchasing an additional 78,196 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jennison Associates LLC boosted its stake in shares of Freshpet by 200.6% during the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 651,202 shares of the company’s stock worth $38,395,000 after purchasing an additional 434,582 shares during the last quarter.

About Freshpet

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.