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

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) was upgraded by StockNews.com to a “sell” rating in a report issued on Wednesday.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on the stock. Oppenheimer lifted their price target on shares of Freshpet from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Friday, February 16th. Stifel Nicolaus lifted their price target on shares of Freshpet from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Citigroup assumed coverage on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. They issued a “neutral” rating and a $94.00 price target on the stock. Truist Financial raised shares of Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lifted their price target for the company from $120.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, March 11th. Finally, Piper Sandler lifted 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. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $107.36.

Freshpet Price Performance

NASDAQ FRPT opened at $104.98 on Wednesday. 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 market capitalization of $5.07 billion, a PE ratio of -145.23 and a beta of 1.23. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $107.45 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $86.68. Freshpet has a 12-month low of $54.60 and a 12-month high of $117.76.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last posted its earnings results on Monday, February 26th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.09 by $0.22. The firm had revenue of $215.40 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $204.93 million. Freshpet had a negative net margin of 4.38% and a negative return on equity of 3.56%. The company’s revenue was up 29.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company earned ($0.06) earnings per share. As a group, equities analysts predict that Freshpet will post 0.07 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Freshpet

In other Freshpet news, COO Scott James Morris sold 2,500 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.02, for a total value of $280,050.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now owns 122,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,709,007.60. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. In other Freshpet news, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 7,130 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.53, for a total transaction of $773,818.90. Following the sale, the executive vice president now owns 85,056 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,231,127.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, COO Scott James Morris sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, March 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $112.02, for a total transaction of $280,050.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 122,380 shares in the company, valued at approximately $13,709,007.60. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 15,762 shares of company stock valued at $1,737,280 in the last 90 days. 3.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freshpet

A number of hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FRPT. RiverPark Advisors LLC bought a new stake in Freshpet during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new stake in Freshpet during the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its holdings in Freshpet by 100.8% during the 1st 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 shares of Freshpet in the 1st quarter valued at about $36,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of 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.