Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Upgraded at StockNews.com

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) was upgraded by stock analysts at StockNews.com to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on FRPT. Citigroup started coverage on Freshpet in a report on Thursday, February 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $94.00 target price on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. upped their target price on Freshpet from $67.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on Freshpet from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Truist Financial upgraded Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and upped their target price for the company from $120.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, March 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler upped their target price on Freshpet from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $107.36.

Freshpet Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FRPT opened at $104.98 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $5.07 billion, a P/E ratio of -145.23 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a current ratio of 4.79, a quick ratio of 4.08 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $107.45 and its 200-day moving average is $86.68. Freshpet has a 1-year low of $54.60 and a 1-year high of $117.76.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 26th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $215.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $204.93 million. Freshpet had a negative return on equity of 3.56% and a negative net margin of 4.38%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 29.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business posted ($0.06) earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Freshpet will post 0.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Freshpet

In other news, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 7,130 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.53, for a total transaction of $773,818.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 85,056 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,231,127.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. In other news, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 7,130 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.53, for a total transaction of $773,818.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 85,056 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,231,127.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Scott James Morris sold 3,632 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.86, for a total value of $399,011.52. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 122,380 shares in the company, valued at $13,444,666.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,762 shares of company stock valued at $1,737,280 over the last ninety days. 3.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freshpet

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FRPT. RiverPark Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Freshpet in the 3rd quarter valued at $28,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. purchased a new stake in Freshpet in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Freshpet by 100.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 263 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new stake in Freshpet in the 1st quarter valued at $36,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Freshpet in the 4th quarter valued at $40,000.

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.