New York State Common Retirement Fund Has $9.52 Million Stock Position in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

New York State Common Retirement Fund lessened its stake in shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) by 3.0% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 64,302 shares of the company’s stock after selling 2,000 shares during the period. New York State Common Retirement Fund’s holdings in Freshpet were worth $9,524,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its position in Freshpet by 302.0% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 201 shares of the company’s stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the third quarter valued at about $32,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the fourth quarter worth about $39,000. Brooklyn Investment Group acquired a new position in shares of Freshpet in the third quarter valued at approximately $54,000. Finally, Capital Performance Advisors LLP acquired a new position in shares of Freshpet in the third quarter valued at approximately $57,000.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently commented on the stock. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and cut their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Monday. Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Freshpet from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 price objective on shares of Freshpet in a report on Friday, November 1st. Piper Sandler cut their target price on Freshpet from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st. Finally, Robert W. Baird upped their price target on Freshpet from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. One equities research 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. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.47.

Freshpet Stock Performance

Shares of FRPT stock opened at $107.04 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $143.97 and a 200-day moving average of $142.83. The company has a market cap of $5.21 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 113.87 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a quick ratio of 3.91, a current ratio of 4.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Freshpet, Inc. has a 52 week low of $97.48 and a 52 week high of $164.07.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last issued its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, hitting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36. Freshpet had a return on equity of 3.92% and a net margin of 4.81%. The company had revenue of $262.71 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $275.46 million. On average, equities analysts forecast that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Freshpet

In other news, President Scott James Morris sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated 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 of the company’s stock, valued at $19,260,164.40. The trade was a 3.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

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.