Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) Stock Position Trimmed by Atika Capital Management LLC

Atika Capital Management LLC decreased its position in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) by 25.2% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 49,400 shares of the company’s stock after selling 16,600 shares during the period. Atika Capital Management LLC’s holdings in Freshpet were worth $7,317,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. bought a new position in Freshpet in the 4th quarter worth approximately $817,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Freshpet by 36.4% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 107,657 shares of the company’s stock worth $15,945,000 after purchasing an additional 28,743 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC increased its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 4.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 835,663 shares of the company’s stock valued at $115,650,000 after purchasing an additional 37,287 shares during the period. Victory Capital Management Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 1.7% during the fourth quarter. Victory Capital Management Inc. now owns 135,629 shares of the company’s stock valued at $20,088,000 after purchasing an additional 2,291 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its stake in shares of Freshpet by 198.6% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 381,385 shares of the company’s stock valued at $55,065,000 after purchasing an additional 253,679 shares in the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research firms have commented on FRPT. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on shares of Freshpet from $142.00 to $110.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday. Oppenheimer cut Freshpet from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price objective on Freshpet from $155.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered their target price on Freshpet from $140.00 to $110.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 31st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Freshpet presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $146.53.

Freshpet Price Performance

FRPT opened at $79.49 on Friday. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.87 billion, a P/E ratio of 84.56 and a beta of 1.80. The stock has a fifty day moving average of $110.68 and a 200-day moving average of $133.79. The company has a quick ratio of 3.91, a current ratio of 4.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Freshpet, Inc. has a 12-month low of $77.15 and a 12-month high of $164.07.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.36. Freshpet had a return on equity of 3.92% and a net margin of 4.81%. The firm had revenue of $262.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $275.46 million. Equities analysts forecast that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

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.