Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Stock Price Up 0.3% – Here’s Why

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities analysts have recently commented on FRPT shares. Oppenheimer lowered Freshpet from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of 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 shares of Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price target for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Freshpet from $155.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 10th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.67.

Freshpet Price Performance

The business’s 50 day moving average price is $124.80 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $137.52. The company has a current ratio of 4.72, a quick ratio of 3.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market cap of $4.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 93.79 and a beta of 1.58.

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

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FRPT. M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in shares of Freshpet by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 2,253 shares of the company’s stock worth $333,000 after buying an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,887 shares of the company’s stock valued at $805,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC increased its position in Freshpet by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 2,111 shares of the company’s stock worth $313,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Freshpet by 5.3% during the fourth quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $249,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its position in Freshpet by 19.1% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 573 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the last quarter.

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.