Handelsbanken Fonder AB Has $772,000 Stock Holdings in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

Handelsbanken Fonder AB grew its position in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) by 29.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel reports. The firm owned 8,900 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,000 shares during the quarter. Handelsbanken Fonder AB’s holdings in Freshpet were worth $772,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds have also modified their holdings of FRPT. JANA Partners Management LP acquired a new position in Freshpet during the 3rd quarter worth $214,405,000. Lord Abbett & CO. LLC acquired a new position in shares of Freshpet during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,044,000. Wellington Management Group LLP grew its holdings in Freshpet by 5.5% in the 3rd quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 3,576,014 shares of the company’s stock valued at $235,588,000 after buying an additional 185,210 shares during the last quarter. Lisanti Capital Growth LLC bought a new position in Freshpet in the 3rd quarter worth approximately $7,537,000. Finally, William Blair Investment Management LLC increased its position in Freshpet by 4.2% in the 3rd quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 2,740,708 shares of the company’s stock worth $180,558,000 after buying an additional 110,383 shares during the period.

Freshpet Stock Up 1.3 %

Shares of NASDAQ FRPT opened at $107.75 on Tuesday. Freshpet, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.60 and a 52-week high of $117.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 4.08 and a current ratio of 4.79. The business has a fifty day moving average of $108.46 and a two-hundred day moving average of $87.68. The stock has a market cap of $5.20 billion, a PE ratio of -151.76 and a beta of 1.23.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 26th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $215.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $204.93 million. Freshpet had a negative net margin of 4.38% and a negative return on equity of 3.56%. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 29.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted ($0.06) EPS. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Freshpet, Inc. will post 0.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on FRPT shares. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 27th. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price target for the stock from $120.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, March 11th. StockNews.com raised shares of Freshpet to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, April 24th. DA Davidson lifted their target price on Freshpet from $104.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on Freshpet from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $107.36.

Insider Transactions at Freshpet

In other news, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 7,130 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.53, for a total value of $773,818.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 85,056 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,231,127.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. In other news, COO Scott James Morris sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.76, for a total value of $284,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 122,380 shares in the company, valued at $13,921,948.80. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Also, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 7,130 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.53, for a total transaction of $773,818.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 85,056 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,231,127.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,762 shares of company stock valued at $1,737,280. Corporate insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

Freshpet 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.