Natixis Advisors LLC Buys 42,587 Shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

Natixis Advisors LLC boosted its position in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Free Report) by 406.4% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 53,066 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 42,587 shares during the quarter. Natixis Advisors LLC owned 0.11% of Freshpet worth $7,860,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in FRPT. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 302.0% in the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 201 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in Freshpet in the 3rd quarter valued at approximately $32,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp lifted its stake in Freshpet by 130.9% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 217 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new stake in Freshpet in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $39,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the fourth quarter worth $43,000.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of equities research analysts recently weighed in on the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Freshpet from $154.00 to $102.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Monday, March 10th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price target on Freshpet from $155.00 to $135.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. Citigroup dropped their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Oppenheimer lowered shares of Freshpet from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Freshpet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and decreased their price target for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Monday, February 24th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $151.67.

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Freshpet Trading Up 2.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FRPT traded up $2.12 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $88.76. The company's stock had a trading volume of 1,539,682 shares, compared to its average volume of 734,348. Freshpet, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $80.27 and a fifty-two week high of $164.07. 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 firm has a 50 day moving average price of $124.80 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $137.52. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.32 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 94.43 and a beta of 1.58.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.36. The firm had revenue of $262.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $275.46 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 3.92%. As a group, analysts forecast that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

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.