Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Trading Up 1.8% – What’s Next?

Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)’s share price shot up 1.8% during mid-day trading on Thursday . The company traded as high as $86.95 and last traded at $87.26. 181,876 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 74% from the average session volume of 695,447 shares. The stock had previously closed at $85.70.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FRPT has been the subject of a number of research reports. Wells Fargo & Company decreased their price target on Freshpet from $170.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup decreased their target price on Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their price target for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Freshpet from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and issued a $140.00 price target (down from $170.00) on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.67.

Freshpet Price Performance

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 3.91 and a current ratio of 4.72. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 92.17 and a beta of 1.58. The business has a fifty day moving average of $124.80 and a 200-day moving average of $137.53.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last released its quarterly earnings results 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 company had revenue of $262.71 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $275.46 million. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Elequin Capital LP bought a new stake in Freshpet during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its position in shares of Freshpet by 302.0% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of Freshpet by 130.9% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Freshpet during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Freshpet during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000.

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.