Freshpet Target of Unusually Large Options Trading (NASDAQ:FRPT)

Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) was the target of some unusual options trading activity on Friday. Investors bought 7,046 put options on the company. This is an increase of 791% compared to the typical daily volume of 791 put options.

Freshpet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FRPT traded up $5.78 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $96.86. The company had a trading volume of 1,622,287 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,171,080. The company has a quick ratio of 3.91, a current ratio of 4.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $136.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $140.98. Freshpet has a twelve month low of $89.59 and a twelve month high of $164.07. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.72 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 103.04 and a beta of 1.58.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) last posted 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 during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $275.46 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 3.92%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Freshpet will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

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Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on the stock. Truist Financial restated a "buy" rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (down from $170.00) on shares of Freshpet in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Piper Sandler dropped their price target on Freshpet from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Citigroup dropped their price target on Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. StockNews.com lowered Freshpet from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group raised Freshpet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Monday, February 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $156.47.

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

Institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vanguard Group Inc. increased its position in shares of Freshpet by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,652,556 shares of the company's stock valued at $689,090,000 after buying an additional 46,844 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC raised its position in Freshpet by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 2,881,855 shares of the company's stock worth $430,809,000 after acquiring an additional 110,478 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its position in Freshpet by 1.1% during the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 844,744 shares of the company's stock worth $127,446,000 after acquiring an additional 9,081 shares during the last quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 5.1% in the fourth quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 810,646 shares of the company's stock valued at $120,065,000 after purchasing an additional 39,129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $75,253,000.

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.