Parallax Volatility Advisers L.P. Sells 22,436 Shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

Parallax Volatility Advisers L.P. cut its stake in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Free Report) by 48.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 23,568 shares of the company's stock after selling 22,436 shares during the period. Parallax Volatility Advisers L.P.'s holdings in Freshpet were worth $3,223,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of FRPT. Centiva Capital LP increased its position in shares of Freshpet by 224.5% during the 3rd quarter. Centiva Capital LP now owns 5,240 shares of the company's stock worth $717,000 after purchasing an additional 3,625 shares in the last quarter. Erste Asset Management GmbH acquired a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the third quarter worth approximately $571,000. Fred Alger Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Freshpet by 71.3% in the third quarter. Fred Alger Management LLC now owns 4,079 shares of the company's stock valued at $558,000 after acquiring an additional 1,698 shares during the last quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 45.7% in the 3rd quarter. Verition Fund Management LLC now owns 126,575 shares of the company's stock worth $17,312,000 after acquiring an additional 39,693 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Captrust Financial Advisors boosted its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 2.8% in the 3rd quarter. Captrust Financial Advisors now owns 7,571 shares of the company's stock worth $1,035,000 after acquiring an additional 209 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Buying and Selling at Freshpet

In related news, insider Thembeka Machaba sold 2,500 shares of Freshpet stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.85, for a total value of $384,625.00. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Also, President Scott James Morris sold 5,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.38, for a total value of $786,900.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 122,380 shares in the company, valued at $19,260,164.40. The trade was a 3.93 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,500 shares of company stock worth $1,962,175. Corporate insiders own 3.70% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on FRPT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on shares of Freshpet from $161.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. DA Davidson boosted their price target on shares of Freshpet from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $126.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a "neutral" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on shares of Freshpet from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird increased their price target on Freshpet from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. One 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. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $157.80.

Freshpet Stock Up 0.1 %

Shares of Freshpet stock traded up $0.14 on Friday, hitting $154.37. The company had a trading volume of 448,279 shares, compared to its average volume of 575,616. Freshpet, Inc. has a twelve month low of $71.98 and a twelve month high of $160.91. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 4.72 and a quick ratio of 3.91. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $145.27 and a 200-day moving average of $135.47. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.49 billion, a P/E ratio of 173.45 and a beta of 1.41.

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

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.