Quadrature Capital Ltd Invests $4.86 Million in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

Quadrature Capital Ltd bought a new position in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) in the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor bought 41,878 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $4,857,000. Quadrature Capital Ltd owned about 0.09% of Freshpet at the end of the most recent quarter.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds have also recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 100.8% in the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 263 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in Freshpet in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $36,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Freshpet in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. Whittier Trust Co. bought a new position in Freshpet in the 1st quarter valued at approximately $41,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in Freshpet in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $40,000.

Insider Activity at Freshpet

In related news, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 6,548 shares of Freshpet stock in a transaction on Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.15, for a total value of $786,742.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 86,039 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $10,337,585.85. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,560 shares of company stock valued at $1,701,580. 3.60% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Freshpet Trading Up 2.0 %

Shares of FRPT stock traded up $2.36 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $117.94. 399,132 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 559,478. The firm has a market cap of $5.71 billion, a P/E ratio of 655.26 and a beta of 1.36. Freshpet, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.60 and a fifty-two week high of $136.35. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 4.09 and a current ratio of 4.97. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $127.35 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $111.57.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last announced its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 6th. The company reported $0.21 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of ($0.22) by $0.43. The company had revenue of $223.85 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $216.43 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 1.19% and a return on equity of 0.20%. Equities analysts anticipate that Freshpet, Inc. will post 0.54 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of brokerages recently issued reports on FRPT. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. TD Cowen raised their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $128.00 to $143.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 7th. Benchmark raised their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $125.00 to $150.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 11th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, June 25th. Finally, Bank of America raised their price target on shares of Freshpet from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and fourteen have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $133.76.

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.