Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) Shares Acquired by Xponance Inc.

Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) by 7.9% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The fund owned 3,373 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 248 shares during the period. Xponance Inc.’s holdings in Freshpet were worth $500,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other institutional investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Natixis Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in Freshpet during the third quarter worth approximately $1,433,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Freshpet by 54.4% in the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 439,681 shares of the company’s stock valued at $60,135,000 after buying an additional 154,909 shares during the last quarter. Cerity Partners LLC acquired a new stake in Freshpet during the 3rd quarter worth $1,044,000. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd lifted its position in Freshpet by 12.9% in the third quarter. Dynamic Technology Lab Private Ltd now owns 6,943 shares of the company’s stock valued at $949,000 after acquiring an additional 795 shares during the last quarter. Finally, The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company boosted its stake in Freshpet by 2.9% in the third quarter. The Manufacturers Life Insurance Company now owns 11,848 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,620,000 after acquiring an additional 336 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of analysts have recently commented on FRPT shares. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Freshpet from $155.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their target price on shares of Freshpet from $154.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Freshpet from $170.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 21st. One 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 company. According to MarketBeat.com, Freshpet has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $150.67.

Freshpet Stock Down 2.9 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FRPT opened at $86.23 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $4.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 91.73 and a beta of 1.58. Freshpet, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $80.27 and a fifty-two week high of $164.07. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $122.34 and its 200-day simple moving average is $136.83. The company has a quick ratio of 3.91, a current ratio of 4.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

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

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.