Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Trading 0.3% Higher – Time to Buy?

Shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) rose 0.3% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $88.70 and last traded at $86.92. Approximately 214,306 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 71% from the average daily volume of 729,275 shares. The stock had previously closed at $86.64.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research firms have weighed in on FRPT. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Tuesday. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $140.00 price target (down previously from $170.00) on shares of Freshpet in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report 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 research report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company decreased their target price on Freshpet from $170.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Freshpet presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $150.67.

Freshpet Trading Down 2.9 %

The stock has a market capitalization of $4.20 billion, a PE ratio of 91.73 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 4.72 and a quick ratio of 3.91. The company’s 50 day moving average price is $122.34 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $136.83.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last released its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36. The business had revenue of $262.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $275.46 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 3.92%. As a group, analysts expect that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

Several large investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Natixis Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Freshpet in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,433,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Freshpet by 54.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 439,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,135,000 after purchasing an additional 154,909 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC purchased a new position in shares of Freshpet during the 3rd quarter worth $1,044,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd lifted its position in Freshpet by 12.9% in the third quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 6,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $949,000 after buying an additional 795 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in Freshpet by 2.9% during the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 11,848 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,620,000 after buying an additional 336 shares during the period.

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.