Dimensional Fund Advisors LP Raises Stake in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The institutional investor owned 923,507 shares of the company’s stock after acquiring an additional 22,759 shares during the quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP’s holdings in Freshpet were worth $119,492,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Freshpet during the first quarter worth approximately $811,000. Sei Investments Co. increased its holdings in Freshpet by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 249,021 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,852,000 after purchasing an additional 10,456 shares during the period. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in Freshpet by 53.2% during the 1st quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 139,398 shares of the company’s stock valued at $16,151,000 after purchasing an additional 48,401 shares in the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp lifted its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 74.8% in the 4th quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp now owns 20,772 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,802,000 after buying an additional 8,889 shares during the period. Finally, Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Freshpet during the 4th quarter worth $29,000.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 2,178 shares of Freshpet stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.01, for a total transaction of $304,941.78. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 86,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,046,320.39. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Corporate insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

Freshpet Stock Up 0.7 %

NASDAQ:FRPT opened at $142.19 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 4.50, a quick ratio of 3.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42. Freshpet, Inc. has a twelve month low of $54.60 and a twelve month high of $144.38. The company has a market cap of $6.89 billion, a PE ratio of 789.94 and a beta of 1.39. The company’s 50 day moving average is $130.38 and its two-hundred day moving average is $123.56.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.03) earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.09) by $0.06. Freshpet had a net margin of 2.86% and a return on equity of 1.78%. The firm had revenue of $235.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $230.99 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.35) earnings per share. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 28.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Freshpet, Inc. will post 0.72 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of analysts recently weighed in on FRPT shares. Piper Sandler reaffirmed an “overweight” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of Freshpet in a research note on Tuesday, July 2nd. Robert W. Baird increased their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $140.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, September 3rd. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Finally, Bank of America boosted their price target on Freshpet from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $142.87.

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.