StockNews.com Downgrades Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) to Sell

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report issued on Wednesday.

A number of other analysts have also recently commented on FRPT. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Truist Financial lifted their price target on Freshpet from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company lifted their price target on Freshpet from $157.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on Freshpet from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, Robert W. Baird boosted their price objective on Freshpet from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Freshpet currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $157.80.

Freshpet Stock Up 3.9 %

Freshpet stock opened at $156.38 on Wednesday. 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 capitalization of $7.59 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 175.71 and a beta of 1.39. Freshpet has a 1-year low of $68.22 and a 1-year high of $159.12. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $141.68 and a 200-day moving average price of $132.98.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.10. The firm had revenue of $253.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $248.36 million. Freshpet had a return on equity of 3.67% and a net margin of 4.75%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 26.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.15) EPS. Equities research analysts forecast that Freshpet will post 0.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Freshpet news, insider Thembeka Machaba sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.85, for a total transaction of $384,625.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 2,178 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The stock was 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 of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $12,046,320.39. This trade represents a 2.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freshpet

Large investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Freshpet in the first quarter valued at approximately $811,000. SG Americas Securities LLC acquired a new position in Freshpet in the second quarter valued at approximately $3,964,000. Great Lakes Advisors LLC acquired a new position in Freshpet in the second quarter valued at approximately $4,299,000. Geneva Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in Freshpet by 166.2% in the third quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 84,221 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,519,000 after acquiring an additional 52,584 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in Freshpet by 0.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,666,407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $540,650,000 after acquiring an additional 13,709 shares during the last quarter.

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.