Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Upgraded to Sell by StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) to a sell rating in a research report sent to investors on Wednesday morning.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Freshpet from a hold rating to a buy rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $120.00 to $135.00 in a research note on Monday, March 11th. DA Davidson lifted their price objective on Freshpet from $104.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their target price on shares of Freshpet from $67.00 to $102.00 and gave the stock a neutral rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Freshpet from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. They set a neutral rating and a $94.00 price objective on the stock. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $107.36.

Freshpet Stock Down 0.6 %

FRPT opened at $104.60 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -147.32 and a beta of 1.23. The firm has a 50 day moving average price of $107.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $86.36. Freshpet has a twelve month low of $54.60 and a twelve month high of $117.76. The company has a quick ratio of 4.08, a current ratio of 4.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 26th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $215.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $204.93 million. Freshpet had a negative return on equity of 3.56% and a negative net margin of 4.38%. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 29.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.06) EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Freshpet will post 0.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Freshpet

In other news, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 7,130 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.53, for a total value of $773,818.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 85,056 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,231,127.68. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. In related news, COO Scott James Morris sold 3,632 shares of the stock in a transaction on Friday, March 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $109.86, for a total transaction of $399,011.52. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 122,380 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,444,666.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 7,130 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.53, for a total value of $773,818.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 85,056 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,231,127.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,762 shares of company stock worth $1,737,280 over the last 90 days. 3.60% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freshpet

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Freshpet by 100.8% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 263 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Freshpet during the first quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Freshpet during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. RiverPark Advisors LLC bought a new position in shares of Freshpet during the third quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the fourth quarter worth approximately $40,000.

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.