Oppenheimer Has Lowered Expectations for Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Stock Price

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) had its price target lowered by stock analysts at Oppenheimer from $180.00 to $140.00 in a note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has an “outperform” rating on the stock. Oppenheimer’s target price would suggest a potential upside of 33.61% from the company’s previous close.

A number of other brokerages have also commented on FRPT. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Freshpet from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. Truist Financial increased their target price on shares of Freshpet from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com cut shares of Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company cut their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $170.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research note on Friday. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $158.47.

Freshpet Stock Up 4.5 %

FRPT traded up $4.50 during trading on Monday, hitting $104.78. 424,551 shares of the company’s stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 910,474. Freshpet has a fifty-two week low of $97.48 and a fifty-two week high of $164.07. The stock has a market cap of $5.10 billion, a P/E ratio of 112.14 and a beta of 1.42. The business’s 50 day moving average is $145.55 and its two-hundred day moving average is $143.13. 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 announced its quarterly 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 business had revenue of $262.71 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $275.46 million. Freshpet had a return on equity of 3.92% and a net margin of 4.81%. As a group, equities analysts expect that Freshpet will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Freshpet

In other Freshpet news, President Scott James Morris sold 5,000 shares of Freshpet 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 completion of the transaction, the president now owns 122,380 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,260,164.40. The trade was a 3.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freshpet

A number of institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FRPT. Elequin Capital LP purchased a new stake in Freshpet during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 302.0% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its position in Freshpet by 130.9% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Freshpet in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Freshpet in the fourth quarter worth approximately $39,000.

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.