Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Upgraded at Jefferies Financial Group

Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) from a hold rating to a buy rating in a research report released on Monday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. They currently have $150.00 target price on the stock, down from their prior target price of $155.00.

A number of other equities research analysts also recently weighed in on FRPT. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Freshpet from $170.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, February 21st. DA Davidson boosted their target price on shares of Freshpet from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Freshpet from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Robert W. Baird boosted their target price on shares of Freshpet from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft increased their price target on Freshpet from $161.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $156.47.

Freshpet Stock Performance

NASDAQ:FRPT opened at $106.88 on Monday. The company has a current ratio of 4.72, a quick ratio of 3.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a market cap of $5.21 billion, a P/E ratio of 113.70 and a beta of 1.42. The stock has a 50 day simple moving average of $143.30 and a 200 day simple moving average of $142.58. Freshpet has a 1-year low of $97.48 and a 1-year high of $164.07.

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

Insider Activity at Freshpet

In related news, President Scott James Morris sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction 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 directly owns 122,380 shares in the company, valued at approximately $19,260,164.40. The trade was a 3.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freshpet

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the company. Elequin Capital LP bought a new position in Freshpet in the 4th quarter worth about $29,000. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its holdings in Freshpet by 302.0% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares during the period. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB bought a new position in shares of Freshpet in the third quarter worth approximately $32,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in shares of Freshpet by 130.9% in the fourth quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. Finally, R Squared Ltd purchased a new position in Freshpet during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000.

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.