Voya Investment Management LLC Has $6.84 Million Stock Position in Freshpet, Inc. $FRPT

Voya Investment Management LLC reduced its position in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) by 99.4% during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 82,286 shares of the company’s stock after selling 13,032,612 shares during the period. Voya Investment Management LLC owned about 0.17% of Freshpet worth $6,844,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the company. Banque Transatlantique SA acquired a new position in Freshpet in the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. Elequin Capital LP bought a new stake in Freshpet in the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Freshpet in the first quarter worth approximately $34,000. Larson Financial Group LLC increased its stake in shares of Freshpet by 1,585.0% during the 1st quarter. Larson Financial Group LLC now owns 674 shares of the company’s stock worth $56,000 after purchasing an additional 634 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 734.1% during the 1st quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 1,810 shares of the company’s stock valued at $151,000 after purchasing an additional 1,593 shares in the last quarter.

Freshpet Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of FRPT opened at $53.42 on Thursday. The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $62.74 and its 200 day moving average price is $73.92. The company has a quick ratio of 3.75, a current ratio of 4.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.61 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 79.73, a P/E/G ratio of 0.95 and a beta of 1.72. Freshpet, Inc. has a 12-month low of $52.09 and a 12-month high of $164.07.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, August 4th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $264.69 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $269.75 million. Freshpet had a return on equity of 4.82% and a net margin of 3.23%.Freshpet’s revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.03) EPS. Freshpet has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. As a group, research analysts predict that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Freshpet

In other Freshpet news, Director Timothy R. Mclevish purchased 3,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, September 10th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $56.00 per share, with a total value of $196,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 35,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,976,240. This trade represents a 11.01% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. Also, Director Jacki Sue Kelley acquired 814 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were bought at an average cost of $56.50 per share, for a total transaction of $45,991.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 11,907 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $672,745.50. This represents a 7.34% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. Insiders have bought a total of 5,008 shares of company stock valued at $279,735 over the last ninety days. 4.43% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FRPT has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Stifel Nicolaus set a $90.00 price objective on shares of Freshpet and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Thursday, June 12th. DA Davidson set a $101.00 price target on Freshpet in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. Wall Street Zen upgraded Freshpet from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Freshpet from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $95.00 target price (down previously from $120.00) on shares of Freshpet in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Freshpet presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $108.07.

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.