Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Price Target Raised to $165.00 at Stifel Nicolaus

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) had its price objective raised by Stifel Nicolaus from $155.00 to $165.00 in a research note released on Wednesday, Benzinga reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the stock.

A number of other equities research analysts have also recently commented on FRPT. DA Davidson lifted their price target on shares of Freshpet from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Freshpet in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America increased their price target on Freshpet from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, July 10th. Wells Fargo & Company boosted their price objective on Freshpet from $157.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their target price on shares of Freshpet from $161.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.13.

Freshpet Stock Up 2.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FRPT opened at $155.27 on Wednesday. Freshpet has a 1 year low of $65.81 and a 1 year high of $157.10. The company has a market capitalization of $7.53 billion, a PE ratio of 174.46 and a beta of 1.39. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $138.60 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $129.81. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 4.50 and a quick ratio of 3.69.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $253.40 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $248.36 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 4.75% and a return on equity of 3.72%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.15) earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Freshpet will post 0.73 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In related news, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 2,178 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.01, for a total transaction of $304,941.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now directly owns 86,039 shares in the company, valued at $12,046,320.39. The trade was a 0.00 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the business. Natixis Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in Freshpet in the third quarter valued at approximately $1,433,000. Zions Bancorporation N.A. raised its position in shares of Freshpet by 18.5% during the 3rd quarter. Zions Bancorporation N.A. now owns 13,606 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,861,000 after buying an additional 2,121 shares in the last quarter. KBC Group NV lifted its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 24,869 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,401,000 after acquiring an additional 186 shares during the last quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC grew its position in Freshpet by 166.2% in the third quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 84,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,519,000 after acquiring an additional 52,584 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Rakuten Securities Inc. bought a new position in Freshpet in the third quarter valued at $77,000.

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.