Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Stock Rating Lowered by StockNews.com

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) was downgraded by analysts at StockNews.com from a "hold" rating to a "sell" rating in a note issued to investors on Wednesday.

Several other analysts have also commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price target on Freshpet from $161.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Oppenheimer upped their target price on shares of Freshpet from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an "outperform" rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Freshpet from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an "outperform" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on Freshpet from $126.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Truist Financial increased their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $157.80.

Freshpet Stock Performance

FRPT stock traded down $3.38 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $153.00. 419,650 shares of the stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 582,486. The firm has a market capitalization of $7.43 billion, a PE ratio of 175.71 and a beta of 1.39. The business has a 50-day moving average of $141.68 and a two-hundred day moving average of $132.98. Freshpet has a 52 week low of $68.22 and a 52 week high of $159.12. The company has a quick ratio of 3.91, a current ratio of 4.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.10. Freshpet had a net margin of 4.75% and a return on equity of 3.67%. The company had revenue of $253.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $248.36 million. During the same period last year, the business posted ($0.15) EPS. The business's quarterly revenue was up 26.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities analysts predict that Freshpet will post 0.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 2,178 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.01, for a total transaction of $304,941.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 86,039 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,046,320.39. This represents a 2.47 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, insider Thembeka Machaba sold 2,500 shares of Freshpet stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.85, for a total transaction of $384,625.00. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Company insiders own 3.70% of the company's stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FRPT. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in Freshpet during the first quarter valued at approximately $811,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in shares of Freshpet during the 2nd quarter valued at $3,964,000. Geneva Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Freshpet by 166.2% in the third quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 84,221 shares of the company's stock worth $11,519,000 after buying an additional 52,584 shares in the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the second quarter worth $4,299,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in Freshpet by 0.3% during the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,666,407 shares of the company's stock valued at $540,650,000 after buying an additional 13,709 shares during the period.

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.