Capital Impact Advisors LLC Takes $645,000 Position in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

Capital Impact Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm purchased 4,982 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $645,000.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Freshpet by 100.8% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 263 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the period. ORG Partners LLC bought a new position in shares of Freshpet during the 2nd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Quarry LP acquired a new position in shares of Freshpet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $40,000. Whittier Trust Co. bought a new stake in Freshpet in the 1st quarter valued at $41,000. Finally, Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. lifted its position in Freshpet by 3,670.0% during the second quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 377 shares of the company’s stock worth $49,000 after acquiring an additional 367 shares during the last quarter.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several research firms have recently commented on FRPT. Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on Freshpet from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Freshpet from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Freshpet from $113.00 to $126.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, August 6th. Citigroup lifted their target price on Freshpet from $124.00 to $129.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 17th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price target on shares of Freshpet from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $142.87.

Freshpet Stock Performance

Shares of FRPT opened at $135.74 on Monday. The stock has a 50 day moving average of $132.03 and a 200 day moving average of $124.60. The company has a market capitalization of $6.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 754.11 and a beta of 1.39. Freshpet, Inc. has a 12 month low of $54.60 and a 12 month high of $144.38. The company has a current ratio of 4.50, a quick ratio of 3.69 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.03) EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.09) by $0.06. Freshpet had a net margin of 2.86% and a return on equity of 1.78%. The business had revenue of $235.30 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $230.99 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.35) earnings per share. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 28.4% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts forecast that Freshpet, Inc. will post 0.72 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 2,178 shares of Freshpet stock in a transaction on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.01, for a total value of $304,941.78. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 86,039 shares in the company, valued at $12,046,320.39. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. 3.60% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

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.