Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Upgraded to Sell by StockNews.com

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) was upgraded by equities researchers at StockNews.com to a “sell” rating in a report released on Saturday.

Other analysts have also recently issued research reports about the stock. DA Davidson raised their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $104.00 to $138.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their price objective for the company from $120.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, March 11th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $94.00 price objective on the stock. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Freshpet has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $107.36.

Freshpet Price Performance

Freshpet stock opened at $109.58 on Friday. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $109.84 and a 200 day simple moving average of $88.64. Freshpet has a 52 week low of $54.60 and a 52 week high of $117.76. The stock has a market cap of $5.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -154.34 and a beta of 1.24. The company has a quick ratio of 4.08, a current ratio of 4.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 26th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.22. The company had revenue of $215.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $204.93 million. Freshpet had a negative net margin of 4.38% and a negative return on equity of 3.56%. Freshpet’s revenue for the quarter was up 29.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned ($0.06) earnings per share. On average, research analysts forecast that Freshpet will post 0.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Freshpet news, COO Scott James Morris sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.02, for a total value of $280,050.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 122,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,709,007.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Freshpet news, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 7,130 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.53, for a total value of $773,818.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 85,056 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,231,127.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, COO Scott James Morris sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.02, for a total transaction of $280,050.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 122,380 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,709,007.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,762 shares of company stock valued at $1,737,280 in the last quarter. Insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freshpet

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of FRPT. RiverPark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its stake in shares of Freshpet by 100.8% during the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 263 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Freshpet during the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new position in Freshpet during the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000.

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.