Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) Short Interest Update

Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) was the recipient of a significant decrease in short interest during the month of January. As of January 31st, there was short interest totalling 4,110,000 shares, a decrease of 7.8% from the January 15th total of 4,460,000 shares. Based on an average trading volume of 579,200 shares, the days-to-cover ratio is currently 7.1 days.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Freshpet news, President Scott James Morris sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.38, for a total value of $786,900.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 122,380 shares in the company, valued at $19,260,164.40. The trade was a 3.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 3.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Freshpet

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Elequin Capital LP acquired a new position in shares of Freshpet in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its position in Freshpet by 302.0% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in Freshpet in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $32,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its position in Freshpet by 130.9% during the 4th 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 purchased a new position in Freshpet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000.

Freshpet Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FRPT traded up $2.38 during midday trading on Tuesday, reaching $131.99. The company had a trading volume of 1,172,491 shares, compared to its average volume of 700,355. Freshpet has a 1 year low of $87.87 and a 1 year high of $164.07. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $147.90 and its 200 day simple moving average is $143.34. The company has a current ratio of 4.72, a quick ratio of 3.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market cap of $6.41 billion, a P/E ratio of 148.31 and a beta of 1.42.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on FRPT shares. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Freshpet from $161.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Citigroup reduced their price target on shares of 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 lowered shares of Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Freshpet from $126.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Freshpet presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $164.29.

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.