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

StockNews.com upgraded shares of Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) to a sell rating in a report issued on Saturday.

Other equities analysts have also issued reports about the stock. Truist Financial upgraded shares of Freshpet from a hold rating to a buy rating and raised their price objective for the company from $120.00 to $135.00 in a research report on Monday, March 11th. 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. Oppenheimer upped their price target on shares of Freshpet from $100.00 to $115.00 and gave the stock an outperform rating in a report on Friday, February 16th. Citigroup began coverage on Freshpet in a research note on Thursday, February 1st. They set a neutral rating and a $94.00 price objective for the company. Finally, DA Davidson upped their target price on Freshpet from $104.00 to $138.00 and gave the stock a buy rating in a research note on Wednesday, March 13th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of Moderate Buy and a consensus target price of $107.36.

Freshpet Trading Up 10.4 %

Shares of FRPT stock opened at $121.03 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $5.86 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -170.46 and a beta of 1.24. The company’s fifty day simple moving average is $110.42 and its two-hundred day simple moving average is $89.54. Freshpet has a 1 year low of $54.60 and a 1 year high of $127.25. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 4.79 and a quick ratio of 4.08.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 company had revenue of $215.40 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $204.93 million. Freshpet had a negative return on equity of 3.56% and a negative net margin of 4.38%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 29.9% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted ($0.06) EPS. As a group, analysts anticipate that Freshpet will post 0.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 7,130 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, February 28th. The stock was sold at an average price of $108.53, for a total transaction of $773,818.90. Following the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 85,056 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $9,231,127.68. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this link. In related news, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 7,130 shares of the stock in a transaction dated 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 in the company, valued at approximately $9,231,127.68. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, COO Scott James Morris sold 2,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.76, for a total value of $284,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now owns 122,380 shares in the company, valued at $13,921,948.80. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 15,762 shares of company stock valued at $1,737,280 over the last three months. Insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freshpet

A number of hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Quantbot Technologies LP bought a new stake in Freshpet in the 1st quarter worth $3,388,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. purchased a new position in Freshpet during the 1st quarter valued at about $244,000. Duality Advisers LP bought a new position in Freshpet during the 1st quarter valued at approximately $854,000. RiverPark Advisors LLC lifted its holdings in Freshpet by 467.1% in the 1st quarter. RiverPark Advisors LLC now owns 2,342 shares of the company’s stock worth $271,000 after buying an additional 1,929 shares during the period. Finally, Central Pacific Bank Trust Division bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the 1st quarter worth approximately $520,000.

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.