Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Trading Up 0.2% – Still a Buy?

Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)’s share price was up 0.2% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $93.14 and last traded at $91.22. Approximately 266,737 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 77% from the average daily volume of 1,138,635 shares. The stock had previously closed at $91.08.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts recently commented on FRPT shares. Oppenheimer dropped their target price on Freshpet from $180.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Citigroup dropped their target price on Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Freshpet from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Freshpet from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Freshpet presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $156.47.

Freshpet Price Performance

The company has a 50-day moving average price of $136.84 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $140.98. 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 has a market cap of $4.72 billion, a PE ratio of 103.04 and a beta of 1.58.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36. The firm had revenue of $262.71 million during 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Freshpet in the fourth quarter valued at about $817,000. Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Freshpet by 36.4% in the fourth quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 107,657 shares of the company’s stock valued at $15,945,000 after purchasing an additional 28,743 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Freshpet by 4.7% during the third quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 835,663 shares of the company’s stock valued at $115,650,000 after buying an additional 37,287 shares in the last quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC acquired a new stake in Freshpet during the third quarter valued at approximately $1,465,000. Finally, Geneva Capital Management LLC raised its stake in Freshpet by 166.2% during the third quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 84,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,519,000 after buying an additional 52,584 shares in the last quarter.

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.