Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Stock Price Down 7.4% After Analyst Downgrade

Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) shares traded down 7.4% on Monday after Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on the stock from $155.00 to $135.00. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the stock. Freshpet traded as low as $88.11 and last traded at $89.70. 1,268,571 shares were traded during mid-day trading, an increase of 8% from the average session volume of 1,170,024 shares. The stock had previously closed at $96.86.

Several other analysts have also recently commented on FRPT. Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $140.00 target price (down previously from $170.00) on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Tuesday, February 25th. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their target price on Freshpet from $170.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 21st. StockNews.com lowered shares of Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Oppenheimer lowered their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $180.00 to $140.00 and set an “outperform” rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Piper Sandler cut their target price on shares of Freshpet from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Friday, February 21st. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has given a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.67.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freshpet

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Elequin Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Freshpet in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Freshpet by 302.0% during the 4th 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 period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Freshpet in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted 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 buying an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. Finally, R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000.

Freshpet Stock Performance

The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $136.84 and its 200-day moving average price is $141.04. The firm has a market cap of $4.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 90.48 and a beta of 1.58. 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 (NASDAQ:FRPT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.36. Freshpet had a return on equity of 3.92% and a net margin of 4.81%. The firm had revenue of $262.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $275.46 million. On average, analysts anticipate that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

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.