Freshpet, Inc. $FRPT Shares Bought by New York State Teachers Retirement System

New York State Teachers Retirement System raised its position in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) by 4.5% during the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund owned 18,500 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 800 shares during the period. New York State Teachers Retirement System’s holdings in Freshpet were worth $1,257,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also made changes to their positions in the company. Amalgamated Bank raised its position in Freshpet by 450.6% in the first quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 14,823 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,233,000 after purchasing an additional 12,131 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Freshpet by 124.0% during the first quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 241,196 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,060,000 after purchasing an additional 133,539 shares in the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its stake in shares of Freshpet by 40.0% during the first quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 70,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,822,000 after purchasing an additional 20,000 shares in the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG grew its stake in shares of Freshpet by 31.6% during the first quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 282,840 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,524,000 after purchasing an additional 67,866 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Freshpet by 688.5% during the first quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 96,542 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,029,000 after purchasing an additional 84,299 shares in the last quarter.

Freshpet Stock Up 5.4%

FRPT stock opened at $57.51 on Thursday. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $54.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $67.79. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.81 billion, a PE ratio of 85.84, a P/E/G ratio of 1.22 and a beta of 1.74. Freshpet, Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.76 and a 12 month high of $164.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 4.81 and a quick ratio of 3.75.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The company reported $0.33 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.21. The business had revenue of $264.69 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $269.75 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 3.23% and a return on equity of 4.82%. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.03) earnings per share. Freshpet has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Equities analysts expect that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Freshpet

In other Freshpet news, Director Jacki Sue Kelley purchased 814 shares of Freshpet stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were bought at an average price of $56.50 per share, with a total value of $45,991.00. Following the purchase, the director directly owned 11,907 shares in the company, valued at $672,745.50. This trade represents a 7.34% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Director Walter N. George acquired 1,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The shares were acquired at an average price of $52.57 per share, for a total transaction of $52,570.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 46,527 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,445,924.39. The trade was a 2.20% increase in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last three months, insiders acquired 6,008 shares of company stock worth $332,305. Insiders own 4.43% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts recently commented on FRPT shares. Truist Financial lowered their target price on shares of Freshpet from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. UBS Group cut their price target on shares of Freshpet from $65.00 to $48.00 and set a “sell” rating for the company in a report on Monday, September 8th. Weiss Ratings reissued a “hold (c-)” rating on shares of Freshpet in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $95.00 target price (down from $120.00) on shares of Freshpet in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $101.00 target price on shares of Freshpet in a report on Thursday, August 7th. Eight research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $103.33.

Freshpet 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.