Allianz Asset Management GmbH Has $32.10 Million Stock Position in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

Allianz Asset Management GmbH reduced its stake in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) by 4.5% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund owned 216,722 shares of the company’s stock after selling 10,313 shares during the period. Allianz Asset Management GmbH’s holdings in Freshpet were worth $32,099,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the stock. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC lifted its stake in Freshpet by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,887 shares of the company’s stock valued at $805,000 after buying an additional 75 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC increased its stake in shares of Freshpet by 19.1% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 573 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after acquiring an additional 92 shares during the last quarter. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA raised its position in shares of Freshpet by 3.2% in the 3rd quarter. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA now owns 3,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $490,000 after acquiring an additional 111 shares during the period. LVW Advisors LLC boosted its stake in Freshpet by 5.9% during the 4th quarter. LVW Advisors LLC now owns 2,260 shares of the company’s stock worth $335,000 after acquiring an additional 125 shares during the last quarter. Finally, First Horizon Advisors Inc. boosted its stake in Freshpet by 23.0% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 739 shares of the company’s stock worth $101,000 after acquiring an additional 138 shares during the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have commented on FRPT shares. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Freshpet in a research note on Friday, November 1st. TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $160.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Freshpet from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com cut Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price target on Freshpet from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $161.93.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Scott James Morris sold 5,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.38, for a total transaction of $786,900.00. Following the sale, the president now owns 122,380 shares in the company, valued at $19,260,164.40. This represents a 3.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. Insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

Freshpet Trading Down 5.8 %

NASDAQ FRPT opened at $100.26 on Monday. Freshpet, Inc. has a 52 week low of $89.15 and a 52 week high of $164.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 3.91 and a current ratio of 4.72. The stock’s 50 day moving average price is $145.55 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $143.13. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 106.65 and a beta of 1.42.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36. Freshpet had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 3.92%. The company had revenue of $262.71 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $275.46 million. As a group, analysts anticipate that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Freshpet 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.