3,340 Shares in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) Bought by Cetera Trust Company N.A

Cetera Trust Company N.A acquired a new stake in shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 3,340 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $290,000.

Several other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the business. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. increased its stake in Freshpet by 63.1% in the 1st quarter. Advisor Group Holdings Inc. now owns 2,983 shares of the company’s stock worth $306,000 after buying an additional 1,154 shares during the period. HighTower Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Freshpet by 129.9% in the 1st quarter. HighTower Advisors LLC now owns 7,492 shares of the company’s stock worth $790,000 after purchasing an additional 4,233 shares in the last quarter. Citigroup Inc. raised its position in Freshpet by 155.2% during the 1st quarter. Citigroup Inc. now owns 18,953 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,944,000 after buying an additional 11,527 shares during the last quarter. Bank of Montreal Can raised its position in Freshpet by 104.0% during the 1st quarter. Bank of Montreal Can now owns 20,798 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,203,000 after buying an additional 10,601 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MetLife Investment Management LLC purchased a new position in Freshpet during the 1st quarter worth approximately $271,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research firms have recently weighed in on FRPT. Truist Financial raised shares of Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their target price for the company from $120.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, March 11th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their price target on shares of Freshpet from $67.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Citigroup started coverage on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $94.00 target price on the stock. DA Davidson upped their target price on shares of Freshpet from $104.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. Finally, Oppenheimer upped their price target on Freshpet from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eleven have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $107.36.

Insiders Place Their Bets

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

Freshpet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FRPT opened at $105.24 on Monday. The company has a quick ratio of 4.08, a current ratio of 4.79 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $106.43 and a 200 day moving average price of $85.73. Freshpet, Inc. has a 1-year low of $54.60 and a 1-year high of $117.76.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 26th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $215.40 million during 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 company’s revenue for the quarter was up 29.9% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the company earned ($0.06) earnings per share. On average, research analysts anticipate that Freshpet, Inc. will post 0.07 EPS for the current year.

Freshpet 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.