Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust Has $17.74 Million Stock Position in Freshpet, Inc. $FRPT

Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust increased its position in shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) by 19.3% in the 1st quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The institutional investor owned 300,932 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 48,626 shares during the quarter. Emerald Mutual Fund Advisers Trust’s holdings in Freshpet were worth $17,743,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd lifted its position in Freshpet by 606.8% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 417 shares of the company’s stock worth $25,000 after acquiring an additional 358 shares during the last quarter. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new stake in Freshpet during the 4th quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Signaturefd LLC boosted its stake in Freshpet by 143.0% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after purchasing an additional 296 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in Freshpet by 55.0% in the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB increased its position in Freshpet by 445.4% in the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock worth $32,000 after buying an additional 432 shares during the period.

Freshpet Stock Performance

FRPT opened at $55.92 on Tuesday. The stock has a market cap of $2.75 billion, a PE ratio of 14.95 and a beta of 1.60. The company has a current ratio of 6.18, a quick ratio of 5.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. Freshpet, Inc. has a 1 year low of $46.45 and a 1 year high of $86.00. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $52.93 and its 200-day simple moving average is $62.93.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Freshpet news, CEO William B. Cyr sold 42,907 shares of Freshpet stock in a transaction on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were sold at an average price of $47.92, for a total transaction of $2,056,103.44. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 204,585 shares in the company, valued at $9,803,713.20. The trade was a 17.34% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this link. Over the last three months, insiders acquired 4,211 shares of company stock valued at $215,027 and sold 235,262 shares valued at $11,664,591. 4.30% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

Several equities research analysts have recently weighed in on FRPT shares. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price objective on Freshpet from $75.00 to $70.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, July 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Freshpet from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the stock from $66.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 target price for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Morgan Stanley reissued an “overweight” rating and issued a $77.00 price target on shares of Freshpet in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Finally, Weiss Ratings lowered shares of Freshpet from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, June 1st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, ten have given a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Freshpet currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.25.

Freshpet Company Profile

Freshpet Inc (NASDAQ: FRPT) is a leading pet food company specializing in fresh, refrigerated meals and treats for dogs and cats. The company’s products are formulated with carefully selected, natural ingredients and are designed to offer a higher level of nutrition and freshness than traditional dry or canned pet foods. Freshpet’s offerings include refrigerated rolls, pâtés and snacks, all of which are sold through the refrigerated section of grocery, mass-market and pet specialty stores.

Freshpet’s product portfolio is built around the concept of fresh, minimally processed recipes that do not require preservatives or artificial colors.