Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) Receives Consensus Recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from Analysts

Shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) have been assigned an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the fourteen research firms that are presently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold recommendation and twelve have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $164.29.

Several analysts have recently issued reports on FRPT shares. Truist Financial upped their price objective on Freshpet from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price objective on Freshpet from $157.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com cut Freshpet from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Citigroup cut their target price on Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday. Finally, Benchmark reissued a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 target price on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Friday, November 1st.

Freshpet Price Performance

Shares of FRPT traded down $1.68 during mid-day trading on Thursday, hitting $129.61. 633,801 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 554,699. The company has a market cap of $6.29 billion, a PE ratio of 145.63 and a beta of 1.42. Freshpet has a 52-week low of $85.50 and a 52-week high of $164.07. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $148.30 and a two-hundred day moving average of $143.30. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 3.91 and a current ratio of 4.72.

Insider Transactions at Freshpet

In related news, President Scott James Morris sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.38, for a total transaction of $786,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 122,380 shares in the company, valued at $19,260,164.40. This represents a 3.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this link. Corporate insiders own 3.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freshpet

Hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Lecap Asset Management Ltd. purchased a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the 4th quarter worth $817,000. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Freshpet by 4.7% during the 3rd quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 835,663 shares of the company's stock worth $115,650,000 after purchasing an additional 37,287 shares during the last quarter. Transcendent Capital Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the 3rd quarter worth $1,465,000. Geneva Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in shares of Freshpet by 166.2% during the 3rd 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 last quarter. Finally, Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. lifted its stake in shares of Freshpet by 54.4% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 439,681 shares of the company's stock worth $60,135,000 after purchasing an additional 154,909 shares during the last quarter.

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.