Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) Stock Holdings Lessened by Bank of Montreal Can

Bank of Montreal Can cut its position in shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Free Report) by 7.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 204,780 shares of the company's stock after selling 17,285 shares during the quarter. Bank of Montreal Can owned approximately 0.42% of Freshpet worth $27,797,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of the company. WCM Investment Management LLC lifted its position in Freshpet by 749.7% during the third quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 2,771,377 shares of the company's stock worth $376,187,000 after buying an additional 2,445,199 shares during the period. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP increased its stake in shares of Freshpet by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 923,507 shares of the company's stock valued at $119,492,000 after acquiring an additional 22,759 shares during the last quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 24.4% during the 2nd quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 721,288 shares of the company's stock worth $93,327,000 after acquiring an additional 141,615 shares during the period. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Freshpet by 54.4% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 439,681 shares of the company's stock worth $60,135,000 after acquiring an additional 154,909 shares during the last quarter. Finally, TimesSquare Capital Management LLC grew its holdings in Freshpet by 38.2% in the third quarter. TimesSquare Capital Management LLC now owns 199,592 shares of the company's stock valued at $27,298,000 after purchasing an additional 55,200 shares during the period.

Insider Transactions at Freshpet

In related news, President Scott James Morris sold 5,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.13, for a total value of $790,650.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 122,380 shares of the company's stock, valued at $19,351,949.40. The trade was a 3.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, insider Thembeka Machaba sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.85, for a total value of $384,625.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Over the last quarter, insiders sold 9,678 shares of company stock valued at $1,480,217. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Freshpet Stock Down 0.1 %

NASDAQ:FRPT traded down $0.19 on Friday, reaching $153.05. The stock had a trading volume of 186,887 shares, compared to its average volume of 578,924. The company has a 50-day moving average of $143.98 and a 200 day moving average of $134.70. The company has a current ratio of 4.72, a quick ratio of 3.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market cap of $7.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 171.97 and a beta of 1.39. Freshpet, Inc. has a 12-month low of $69.37 and a 12-month high of $160.91.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.10. Freshpet had a return on equity of 3.67% and a net margin of 4.75%. The firm had revenue of $253.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $248.36 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.15) EPS. Freshpet's quarterly revenue was up 26.3% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts predict that Freshpet, Inc. will post 0.87 earnings per share for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FRPT has been the topic of a number of recent analyst reports. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Freshpet from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Freshpet from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Freshpet from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Freshpet from $157.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an "overweight" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on Freshpet from $126.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, Freshpet presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $157.80.

Freshpet 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.