Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Trading Up 0.7% – Here’s What Happened

Shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) shot up 0.7% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $88.98 and last traded at $88.49. 159,015 shares changed hands during trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 1,283,474 shares. The stock had previously closed at $87.84.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have issued reports on FRPT. StockNews.com cut Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price target on Freshpet from $155.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, March 10th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on shares of Freshpet from $154.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company dropped their target price on shares of Freshpet from $170.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.67.

Freshpet Stock Up 2.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 4.72 and a quick ratio of 3.91. The stock has a market cap of $4.37 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 95.52 and a beta of 1.58. The business has a fifty day moving average of $130.72 and a 200 day moving average of $139.29.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last released its quarterly 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 for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $275.46 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 3.92%. On average, equities analysts predict that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the 4th quarter worth $14,678,000. Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new position in Freshpet during the 4th quarter worth $215,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its holdings in Freshpet by 24.3% during the fourth quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 51,129 shares of the company’s stock valued at $7,573,000 after acquiring an additional 10,009 shares during the period. Elequin Capital LP bought a new position in shares of Freshpet in the fourth quarter worth about $29,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its stake in shares of Freshpet by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 174,580 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,857,000 after purchasing an additional 13,298 shares during the period.

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.