Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) Receives $142.87 Average PT from Brokerages

Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) has been given a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” by the fifteen ratings firms that are covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Three investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. The average 1-year price target among brokerages that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $142.87.

A number of brokerages have recently weighed in on FRPT. Bank of America increased their target price on Freshpet from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Freshpet from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Freshpet from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $113.00 to $126.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, August 6th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Freshpet from $143.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th.

Freshpet Trading Up 1.7 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FRPT opened at $141.98 on Friday. Freshpet has a 52-week low of $54.60 and a 52-week high of $144.38. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 3.69 and a current ratio of 4.50. The company has a market capitalization of $6.88 billion, a P/E ratio of 788.78 and a beta of 1.39. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $135.72 and a 200 day simple moving average of $126.46.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.03) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by $0.06. Freshpet had a return on equity of 1.78% and a net margin of 2.86%. The company had revenue of $235.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $230.99 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.35) EPS. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts forecast that Freshpet will post 0.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Freshpet

In related news, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 2,178 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.01, for a total value of $304,941.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 86,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,046,320.39. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Company insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in Freshpet by 0.3% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,666,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $540,650,000 after purchasing an additional 13,709 shares during the last quarter. Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co. LLC lifted its stake in shares of Freshpet by 2.9% in the fourth quarter. Gilder Gagnon Howe & Co. LLC now owns 1,709,572 shares of the company’s stock worth $148,322,000 after acquiring an additional 47,862 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP boosted its holdings in Freshpet by 2.5% in the second quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 923,507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,492,000 after acquiring an additional 22,759 shares during the last quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC increased its position in Freshpet by 24.4% during the 2nd quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 721,288 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,327,000 after purchasing an additional 141,615 shares during the period. Finally, Sei Investments Co. raised 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 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.