Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Trading Up 0.7% – Time to Buy?

Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)’s stock price traded up 0.7% during trading on Monday . The stock traded as high as $88.98 and last traded at $88.49. 159,015 shares traded hands during mid-day trading, a decline of 88% from the average session volume of 1,283,474 shares. The stock had previously closed at $87.84.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities research analysts have recently weighed in on the stock. Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Monday, February 24th. StockNews.com lowered shares of Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price target on shares of Freshpet from $155.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Monday, March 10th. Finally, Truist Financial reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 price objective (down from $170.00) on shares of Freshpet in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have assigned a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.67.

Freshpet Price Performance

The stock has a 50 day moving average price of $128.37 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $138.60. The firm has a market cap of $4.15 billion, a PE ratio of 90.52 and a beta of 1.58. 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) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36. The company had revenue of $262.71 million during 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, equities analysts expect that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freshpet

Hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Elequin Capital LP purchased a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the fourth quarter worth approximately $29,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Freshpet by 302.0% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 201 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its holdings 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 buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new position in shares of Freshpet during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Freshpet during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000.

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.