Vanguard Group Inc. Boosts Stake in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) by 0.7% in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 4,652,698 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 32,178 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 0.10% of Freshpet worth $403,668,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. Oak Thistle LLC bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the fourth quarter worth $1,200,000. Impax Asset Management Group plc bought a new stake in Freshpet during the fourth quarter valued at about $4,338,000. Nicholas Investment Partners LP bought a new stake in Freshpet during the fourth quarter valued at about $2,278,000. Trust Point Inc. bought a new stake in Freshpet during the fourth quarter valued at about $963,000. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Freshpet by 89.5% during the fourth quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 90,997 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,895,000 after purchasing an additional 42,973 shares during the period.

Insider Buying and Selling at Freshpet

In other Freshpet news, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 1,012 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 8th. The stock was sold at an average price of $120.61, for a total transaction of $122,057.32. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 86,039 shares in the company, valued at $10,377,163.79. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders have sold a total of 13,560 shares of company stock worth $1,701,580 over the last ninety days. Company insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

Freshpet Price Performance

NASDAQ:FRPT opened at $129.25 on Friday. The company has a current ratio of 4.97, a quick ratio of 4.09 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43. The company has a market capitalization of $6.26 billion, a P/E ratio of 718.10 and a beta of 1.33. Freshpet, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.60 and a 12 month high of $132.84. The business’s 50-day moving average is $122.75 and its 200 day moving average is $105.79.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last posted its earnings results on Monday, May 6th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.22) by $0.43. The company had revenue of $223.85 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $216.43 million. Freshpet had a return on equity of 0.20% and a net margin of 1.19%. On average, equities research analysts forecast that Freshpet, Inc. will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FRPT has been the subject of several recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Freshpet from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Benchmark boosted their price target on Freshpet from $125.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 11th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price target on Freshpet from $124.00 to $140.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. DA Davidson boosted their price target on Freshpet from $138.00 to $153.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on Freshpet from $128.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 7th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Freshpet presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $129.00.

Freshpet 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.