Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Upgraded at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research note published on Monday, MarketBeat Ratings reports. They currently have $150.00 price objective on the stock, down from their prior price objective of $155.00.

A number of other equities analysts have also commented on FRPT. Oppenheimer boosted their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Robert W. Baird boosted their price target on shares of Freshpet from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. TD Cowen boosted their target price on Freshpet from $160.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on Freshpet from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, February 12th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $158.47.

Freshpet Trading Up 7.3 %

NASDAQ:FRPT opened at $107.58 on Monday. Freshpet has a 1 year low of $97.48 and a 1 year high of $164.07. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $144.76 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $142.98. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 4.72 and a quick ratio of 3.91. The company has a market cap of $5.24 billion, a P/E ratio of 114.45 and a beta of 1.42.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36. The business had revenue of $262.71 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $275.46 million. Freshpet had a return on equity of 3.92% and a net margin of 4.81%. As a group, analysts expect that Freshpet will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Transactions at Freshpet

In other news, President Scott James Morris sold 5,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.38, for a total transaction of $786,900.00. Following the transaction, the president now directly owns 122,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $19,260,164.40. This trade represents a 3.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freshpet

Several institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Blue Trust Inc. grew its holdings in Freshpet by 2,770.4% in the 3rd quarter. Blue Trust Inc. now owns 775 shares of the company’s stock worth $100,000 after acquiring an additional 748 shares during the last quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 29.7% during the third quarter. Private Advisor Group LLC now owns 2,316 shares of the company’s stock worth $317,000 after purchasing an additional 531 shares during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the third quarter worth about $795,000. Pallas Capital Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Freshpet during the 3rd quarter valued at about $265,000. Finally, Farther Finance Advisors LLC increased its holdings in Freshpet by 12.7% during the 3rd quarter. Farther Finance Advisors LLC now owns 2,277 shares of the company’s stock valued at $311,000 after purchasing an additional 257 shares during the period.

About Freshpet

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.