Baillie Gifford & Co. Decreases Position in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

Baillie Gifford & Co. lowered its stake in shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Free Report) by 4.7% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 48,919 shares of the company's stock after selling 2,412 shares during the quarter. Baillie Gifford & Co. owned about 0.10% of Freshpet worth $7,245,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new position in Freshpet during the fourth quarter valued at $817,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its position in Freshpet by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 835,663 shares of the company's stock valued at $115,650,000 after acquiring an additional 37,287 shares during the period. Transcendent Capital Group LLC bought a new stake in Freshpet during the third quarter worth about $1,465,000. Geneva Capital Management LLC grew 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 worth $11,519,000 after purchasing an additional 52,584 shares during the period. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC raised its position in Freshpet by 198.6% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 381,385 shares of the company's stock worth $55,065,000 after buying an additional 253,679 shares during the last quarter.

Insider Transactions at Freshpet

In related news, President Scott James Morris sold 5,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.13, for a total value of $790,650.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now directly owns 122,380 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $19,351,949.40. This trade represents a 3.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Insiders own 3.70% of the company's stock.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the stock. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Piper Sandler cut their price objective on Freshpet from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a report on Friday. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their target price on Freshpet from $161.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus dropped their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Friday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $161.93.

Freshpet Price Performance

Shares of Freshpet stock traded down $4.09 on Friday, hitting $102.31. 1,001,648 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 842,759. Freshpet, Inc. has a 52 week low of $89.15 and a 52 week high of $164.07. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $146.48 and a 200 day simple moving average of $143.06. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 3.91 and a current ratio of 4.72. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.97 billion, a P/E ratio of 115.93 and a beta of 1.42.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts' consensus estimates of $0.36. The company had revenue of $262.71 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $275.46 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 4.75% and a return on equity of 3.67%. Research analysts expect that Freshpet, Inc. will post 0.89 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.