Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Trading Up 1% – Still a Buy?

Shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) were up 1% during trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $87.33 and last traded at $87.27. Approximately 122,536 shares changed hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 697,402 shares. The stock had previously closed at $86.42.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts recently commented on FRPT shares. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Freshpet from $155.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. Oppenheimer cut Freshpet from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Truist Financial restated a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 price target (down from $170.00) on shares of Freshpet in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. Citigroup cut their price target on Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price target on Freshpet from $154.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $151.67.

Freshpet Trading Up 0.3 %

The company has a market capitalization of $4.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 92.17 and a beta of 1.58. The business has a fifty day moving average of $124.80 and a 200-day moving average of $137.53. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 3.91 and a current ratio of 4.72.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.36 EPS 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 return on equity of 3.92% and a net margin of 4.81%. Analysts anticipate that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freshpet

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Freshpet by 21.9% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 7,084 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,049,000 after buying an additional 1,272 shares during the last quarter. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH purchased a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the 4th quarter valued at $14,678,000. Forum Financial Management LP purchased a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the 4th quarter valued at $215,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio increased its position in shares of Freshpet by 24.3% during the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 51,129 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,573,000 after purchasing an additional 10,009 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Elequin Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the 4th quarter valued at $29,000.

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.