Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Trading Down 5.7% – Should You Sell?

Shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) fell 5.7% on Wednesday . The company traded as low as $146.26 and last traded at $146.81. 401,583 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 27% from the average session volume of 551,089 shares. The stock had previously closed at $155.62.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of analysts have recently issued reports on FRPT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. boosted their target price on shares of Freshpet from $126.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their target price on shares of Freshpet from $157.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Oppenheimer raised their price objective on Freshpet from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Freshpet in a report on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Freshpet from $161.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Freshpet currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $163.36.

Freshpet Stock Performance

The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $151.03 and a 200 day moving average price of $142.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 3.91 and a current ratio of 4.72. The stock has a market cap of $7.25 billion, a PE ratio of 167.93 and a beta of 1.42.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.10. Freshpet had a return on equity of 3.67% and a net margin of 4.75%. The business had revenue of $253.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $248.36 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm earned ($0.15) earnings per share. The company’s revenue was up 26.3% on a year-over-year basis. Research analysts forecast that Freshpet, Inc. will post 0.9 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Freshpet news, insider Thembeka Machaba sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The shares were sold at an average price of $153.85, for a total transaction of $384,625.00. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. Also, President Scott James Morris sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, December 4th. The shares were sold at an average price of $157.38, for a total transaction of $786,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now directly owns 122,380 shares in the company, valued at $19,260,164.40. This trade represents a 3.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have sold 12,500 shares of company stock valued at $1,962,175. Insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Freshpet by 1.3% during the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,887 shares of the company’s stock valued at $805,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its position in Freshpet by 19.1% during the fourth quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 573 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares in the last quarter. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA lifted its holdings in Freshpet by 3.2% in the third quarter. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA now owns 3,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $490,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. Williamson Legacy Group LLC lifted its holdings in Freshpet by 1.6% in the fourth quarter. Williamson Legacy Group LLC now owns 6,903 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,022,000 after acquiring an additional 112 shares during the period. Finally, LVW Advisors LLC boosted its position in Freshpet by 5.9% in the 4th quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 2,260 shares of the company’s stock worth $335,000 after purchasing an additional 125 shares in the last quarter.

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.