Stifel Financial Corp Sells 15,429 Shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

Stifel Financial Corp trimmed its position in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Free Report) by 37.9% during the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 25,264 shares of the company's stock after selling 15,429 shares during the quarter. Stifel Financial Corp owned 0.05% of Freshpet worth $3,455,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. ORG Wealth Partners LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the third quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. raised its holdings in Freshpet by 3,670.0% in the 2nd quarter. Benjamin F. Edwards & Company Inc. now owns 377 shares of the company's stock valued at $49,000 after acquiring an additional 367 shares in the last quarter. Newbridge Financial Services Group Inc. bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the 2nd quarter valued at $52,000. Brooklyn Investment Group bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the 3rd quarter valued at $54,000. Finally, Quarry LP grew its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 275.2% during the 2nd quarter. Quarry LP now owns 439 shares of the company's stock worth $57,000 after purchasing an additional 322 shares in the last quarter.

Freshpet Trading Down 0.5 %

Shares of FRPT traded down $0.68 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $146.38. 519,427 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 574,246. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $146.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $136.53. Freshpet, Inc. has a 52 week low of $82.16 and a 52 week high of $160.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.10 billion, a PE ratio of 164.47 and a beta of 1.41. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 3.91 and a current ratio of 4.72.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $253.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $248.36 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 4.75% and a return on equity of 3.67%. The company's quarterly revenue was up 26.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.15) EPS. On average, analysts predict that Freshpet, Inc. will post 0.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Freshpet

In other Freshpet news, insider Thembeka Machaba sold 2,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.85, for a total value of $384,625.00. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, President Scott James Morris sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The shares were sold at an average price of $158.13, for a total transaction of $790,650.00. Following the transaction, the president now owns 122,380 shares in the company, valued at $19,351,949.40. This represents a 3.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 12,500 shares of company stock worth $1,962,175 in the last 90 days. Corporate insiders own 3.70% of the company's stock.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts recently weighed in on the stock. Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Stifel Nicolaus upped their price target on shares of Freshpet from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. StockNews.com cut Freshpet from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Freshpet from $126.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $157.80.

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.