Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Raised to “Buy” at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. The brokerage currently has $150.00 price target on the stock, down from their prior price target of $155.00.

Other equities analysts also recently issued reports about the company. Citigroup lowered their target price on Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com cut shares of Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on Freshpet from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Freshpet from $126.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, TD Cowen raised their price target on Freshpet from $160.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Freshpet has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $156.47.

Freshpet Trading Down 0.1 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FRPT opened at $106.88 on Monday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 4.72 and a quick ratio of 3.91. Freshpet has a 1 year low of $97.48 and a 1 year high of $164.07. The company has a market cap of $5.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 113.70 and a beta of 1.42. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $143.30 and its 200-day moving average price is $142.58.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36. The business had revenue of $262.71 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $275.46 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 3.92%. Sell-side analysts expect that Freshpet will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Freshpet

In related news, President Scott James Morris sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.38, for a total transaction of $786,900.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 122,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,260,164.40. This trade represents a 3.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Elequin Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the 4th quarter worth $29,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Freshpet by 302.0% in the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 201 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 130.9% during the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Freshpet during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Freshpet in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000.

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.