Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Lifted to “Sell” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) to a sell rating in a research note released on Wednesday morning.

FRPT has been the topic of several other reports. Citigroup began coverage on Freshpet in a report on Thursday, February 1st. They issued a neutral rating and a $94.00 target price on the stock. DA Davidson increased their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $104.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research report on Wednesday, March 13th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their target price on shares of Freshpet from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. Piper Sandler upped their price target on shares of Freshpet from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an overweight rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their price objective on Freshpet from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $107.36.

Freshpet Stock Performance

Shares of Freshpet stock opened at $106.36 on Wednesday. The stock has a market cap of $5.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -149.80 and a beta of 1.23. Freshpet has a twelve month low of $54.60 and a twelve month high of $117.76. The company’s fifty day moving average is $108.10 and its 200 day moving average is $86.94. The company has a quick ratio of 4.08, a current ratio of 4.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 26th. The company reported $0.31 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $215.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $204.93 million. Freshpet had a negative return on equity of 3.56% and a negative net margin of 4.38%. The business’s quarterly revenue was up 29.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned ($0.06) EPS. Sell-side analysts forecast that Freshpet will post 0.07 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Freshpet news, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 7,130 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.53, for a total transaction of $773,818.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 85,056 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,231,127.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through the SEC website. In other news, COO Scott James Morris sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.76, for a total value of $284,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 122,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,921,948.80. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 7,130 shares of Freshpet stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.53, for a total value of $773,818.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 85,056 shares in the company, valued at approximately $9,231,127.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,762 shares of company stock worth $1,737,280 in the last ninety days. Corporate insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freshpet

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. RiverPark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the 3rd quarter worth $28,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in shares of Freshpet during the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its holdings in Freshpet by 100.8% during the first quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 263 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after purchasing an additional 132 shares during the last quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC bought a new stake in Freshpet in the 1st quarter worth about $36,000. Finally, Quarry LP purchased a new stake in Freshpet in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000.

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.