Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) Receives Average Recommendation of “Hold” from Brokerages

Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) has earned a consensus rating of “Hold” from the seventeen research firms that are covering the firm, MarketBeat.com reports. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and eight have given a buy rating to the company. The average 1 year target price among brokers that have covered the stock in the last year is $101.1333.

A number of research analysts have weighed in on the company. Truist Financial reduced their target price on Freshpet from $80.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, August 5th. Zacks Research downgraded Freshpet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their target price on Freshpet from $70.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday. Wall Street Zen upgraded Freshpet from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. Finally, DA Davidson set a $101.00 target price on Freshpet in a report on Thursday, August 7th.

Freshpet Stock Down 0.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:FRPT opened at $54.12 on Tuesday. Freshpet has a 1 year low of $46.76 and a 1 year high of $164.07. The company has a market cap of $2.64 billion, a PE ratio of 80.78, a P/E/G ratio of 1.21 and a beta of 1.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 4.81 and a quick ratio of 3.75. The stock’s 50-day moving average is $54.04 and its 200 day moving average is $67.43.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.21. Freshpet had a return on equity of 4.82% and a net margin of 3.23%.The company had revenue of $264.69 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $269.75 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the business earned ($0.03) EPS. Freshpet’s revenue was up 12.5% compared to the same quarter last year. Freshpet has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. Sell-side analysts anticipate that Freshpet will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, Director Timothy R. Mclevish bought 3,500 shares of Freshpet stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $56.00 per share, for a total transaction of $196,000.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 35,290 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,976,240. The trade was a 11.01% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, Director Jacki Sue Kelley bought 814 shares of Freshpet stock in a transaction on Tuesday, September 9th. The shares were purchased at an average price of $56.50 per share, for a total transaction of $45,991.00. Following the acquisition, the director directly owned 11,907 shares in the company, valued at approximately $672,745.50. This trade represents a 7.34% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders have bought 6,008 shares of company stock worth $332,305. Company insiders own 4.43% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Amalgamated Bank grew its stake in shares of Freshpet by 450.6% in the 1st quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 14,823 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,233,000 after buying an additional 12,131 shares during the last quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. grew its stake in shares of Freshpet by 124.0% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 241,196 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,060,000 after buying an additional 133,539 shares during the last quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc grew its stake in shares of Freshpet by 40.0% in the 1st quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc now owns 70,000 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,822,000 after buying an additional 20,000 shares during the last quarter. Deutsche Bank AG grew its stake in shares of Freshpet by 31.6% in the 1st quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 282,840 shares of the company’s stock worth $23,524,000 after buying an additional 67,866 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Jump Financial LLC grew its stake in shares of Freshpet by 688.5% in the 1st quarter. Jump Financial LLC now owns 96,542 shares of the company’s stock worth $8,029,000 after buying an additional 84,299 shares during the last quarter.

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.