Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Upgraded by StockNews.com to Sell

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

Several other brokerages have also recently commented on FRPT. Truist Financial upgraded Freshpet from a hold rating to a buy rating and increased their target price for the stock from $120.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, March 11th. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Freshpet from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a research note on Friday, February 16th. Citigroup began coverage on shares of Freshpet in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. They set a neutral rating and a $94.00 price target on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on shares of Freshpet from $67.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a neutral rating in a report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their price objective on Freshpet from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a report on Thursday, April 11th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Freshpet presently has a consensus rating of Moderate Buy and an average target price of $107.36.

Freshpet Stock Up 1.3 %

FRPT opened at $106.36 on Wednesday. Freshpet has a twelve month low of $54.60 and a twelve month high of $117.76. The firm has a market cap of $5.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -149.80 and a beta of 1.23. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $108.10 and its 200-day simple moving average is $86.94. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a quick ratio of 4.08 and a current ratio of 4.79.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last posted its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $215.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates 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% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the business posted ($0.06) earnings per share. Equities research analysts anticipate that Freshpet will post 0.07 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Activity at Freshpet

In other Freshpet news, COO Scott James Morris sold 2,500 shares of the 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 directly owns 122,380 shares in the company, valued at $13,709,007.60. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In related news, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 7,130 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was 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 directly owns 85,056 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $9,231,127.68. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, COO Scott James Morris sold 2,500 shares of Freshpet stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, March 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $112.02, for a total transaction of $280,050.00. Following the completion of the transaction, 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. Over the last 90 days, insiders sold 15,762 shares of company stock worth $1,737,280. 3.60% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freshpet

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. RiverPark Advisors LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the 3rd quarter valued at about $28,000. Johnson Financial Group Inc. acquired a new stake in Freshpet in the 4th quarter valued at approximately $29,000. GAMMA Investing LLC lifted its stake in Freshpet by 100.8% in the 1st quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 263 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 132 shares in the last quarter. Blue Bell Private Wealth Management LLC acquired a new position in Freshpet during the 1st quarter worth approximately $36,000. Finally, Quarry LP bought a new position in shares of Freshpet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $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.