Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Stock Price Up 0.7% – Should You Buy?

Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)’s share price traded up 0.7% during mid-day trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $88.98 and last traded at $88.49. 159,015 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 1,283,474 shares. The stock had previously closed at $87.84.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently weighed in on the company. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Freshpet from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Oppenheimer downgraded Freshpet from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Stifel Nicolaus cut their target price on Freshpet from $155.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Citigroup decreased their price target on shares of Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $154.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, Freshpet currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target 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 stock has a market capitalization of $4.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 95.52 and a beta of 1.58. The business’s 50 day simple moving average is $130.72 and its 200-day simple moving average is $139.29.

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

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

Institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Freshpet by 1.0% during the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,652,556 shares of the company’s stock worth $689,090,000 after purchasing an additional 46,844 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC increased its position in shares of Freshpet by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 2,881,855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $430,809,000 after purchasing an additional 110,478 shares during the period. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Freshpet by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 844,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $127,446,000 after buying an additional 9,081 shares in the last quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 810,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,065,000 after buying an additional 39,129 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank bought a new position in Freshpet during the fourth quarter valued at about $75,253,000.

Freshpet Company 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.