Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Sees Large Volume Increase – Should You Buy?

Shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) saw strong trading volume on Friday . 1,603,014 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, an increase of 85% from the previous session’s volume of 867,597 shares.The stock last traded at $101.97 and had previously closed at $106.39.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities research analysts have weighed in on the company. TD Cowen lifted their target price on Freshpet from $160.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Piper Sandler lowered their target price on Freshpet from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. StockNews.com downgraded Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Freshpet from $170.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus lowered their target price on Freshpet from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $161.93.

Freshpet Stock Performance

The company has a market cap of $4.95 billion, a PE ratio of 114.41 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 3.91, a current ratio of 4.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a 50-day moving average of $146.48 and a 200-day moving average of $143.06.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.36. Freshpet had a return on equity of 3.67% and a net margin of 4.75%. The business had revenue of $262.71 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $275.46 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Freshpet, Inc. will post 0.89 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Scott James Morris sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.38, for a total transaction of $786,900.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 122,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,260,164.40. This represents a 3.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. M&T Bank Corp lifted its position in shares of Freshpet by 3.2% during the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 2,253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $333,000 after buying an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its position in shares of Freshpet by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,887 shares of the company’s stock valued at $805,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC lifted its position in shares of Freshpet by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 2,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $313,000 after buying an additional 82 shares during the last quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. lifted its position in shares of Freshpet by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,678 shares of the company’s stock valued at $249,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Freshpet by 19.1% during the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 573 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after purchasing an additional 92 shares during the period.

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.