Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Shares Cross Below Fifty Day Moving Average – Time to Sell?

Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)’s share price crossed below its 50-day moving average during trading on Friday. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $64.54 and traded as low as $63.14. Freshpet shares last traded at $64.39, with a volume of 1,044,676 shares trading hands.

Freshpet News Summary

Here are the key news stories impacting Freshpet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Wells Fargo raised its price target to $84 from $77 and maintained an overweight rating, signaling a more bullish view. Wells Fargo price target article
• Positive Sentiment: JPMorgan lifted its target to $78 from $76 and kept its overweight rating, adding another positive analyst view. JPMorgan price target article
• Positive Sentiment: Freshpet’s Q3 2026 revenue was $317.8 million, up 10.1% year over year and ahead of consensus; EPS of $0.58 also exceeded estimates. Coverage highlighted adjusted gross margin reaching 50% and strong spending by its most valuable customer households. Q3 investor takeaways
• Neutral Sentiment: Deutsche Bank raised its target to $69 from $67 but maintained a Hold rating, reflecting a more cautious view than Wells Fargo and JPMorgan. Deutsche Bank target update
• Neutral Sentiment: Freshpet said executives will participate in upcoming investor conferences, which may give investors more opportunities to hear from management but is not itself a business update. Investor conference announcement
• Negative Sentiment: Recent Q3 coverage also flags rising competition, which could challenge Freshpet’s growth and ability to sustain margin expansion. Q3 analysis on margins, e-commerce and competition

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on FRPT shares. Morgan Stanley downgraded shares of Freshpet from an “overweight” rating to an “equal weight” rating and decreased their target price for the stock from $77.00 to $72.00 in a research report on Thursday, August 6th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating on shares of Freshpet in a report on Wednesday, August 19th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft set a $67.00 price objective on shares of Freshpet in a report on Wednesday, October 21st. Weiss Ratings upgraded Freshpet from a “hold (c-)” rating to a “hold (c)” rating in a research report on Monday, September 28th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Freshpet from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Sunday, August 2nd. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating and seven have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $80.31.

Freshpet Price Performance

The firm has a market cap of $3.16 billion, a PE ratio of 25.55 and a beta of 1.75. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $64.54 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $63.92. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 5.03 and a current ratio of 6.05.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November 4th. The company reported $0.58 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.39 by $0.19. Freshpet had a return on equity of 5.97% and a net margin of 17.28%. The firm had revenue of $317.84 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $312.02 million. During the same period in the prior year, the business earned $1.86 EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 10.1% compared to the same quarter last year. Sell-side analysts expect that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity at Freshpet

In related news, Director Walter N. George bought 1,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Monday, September 14th. The stock was acquired at an average cost of $64.92 per share, for a total transaction of $64,920.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 51,746 shares in the company, valued at $3,359,350.32. This trade represents a 1.97% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, CEO William B. Cyr sold 41,022 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Monday, August 17th. The shares were sold at an average price of $72.86, for a total transaction of $2,988,862.92. Following the sale, the chief executive officer directly owned 267,152 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,464,694.72. The trade was a 13.31% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. Insiders sold 171,636 shares of company stock valued at $12,754,864 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Wellington Management Group LLP boosted its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 11.8% in the second quarter. Wellington Management Group LLP now owns 2,829,688 shares of the company’s stock valued at $167,291,000 after acquiring an additional 298,460 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the second quarter valued at about $107,066,000. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 9.3% in the first quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 917,785 shares of the company’s stock valued at $54,103,000 after acquiring an additional 78,196 shares in the last quarter. Jennison Associates LLC increased its position in shares of Freshpet by 200.6% during the 1st quarter. Jennison Associates LLC now owns 651,202 shares of the company’s stock valued at $38,395,000 after purchasing an additional 434,582 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Alyeska Investment Group L.P. boosted its stake in Freshpet by 146.5% during the 2nd quarter. Alyeska Investment Group L.P. now owns 552,400 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,658,000 after purchasing an additional 328,259 shares during the last quarter.

Freshpet Company Profile

Freshpet, Inc (NASDAQ: FRPT) is a pet food company that develops, manufactures and markets refrigerated, fresh food and treats for dogs and cats. Its products are made with animal proteins, vegetables and other ingredients and are designed to be stored in the refrigerator rather than on a conventional shelf.

The company sells its products under the Freshpet brand and related product lines, including Freshpet Select and Vital. Its offerings include refrigerated meals, rolls, recipes and treats formulated for different pet sizes, ages and dietary needs.