Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Trading Down 4.3% – Time to Sell?

Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)’s share price fell 4.3% on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $60.22 and last traded at $60.3550. 443,821 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 68% from the average session volume of 1,369,118 shares. The stock had previously closed at $63.04.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently commented on FRPT. Jefferies Financial Group reiterated a “hold” rating and issued a $56.00 price objective on shares of Freshpet in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. UBS Group set a $48.00 price objective on shares of Freshpet and gave the stock a “sell” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 4th. Bank of America increased their price target on shares of Freshpet from $60.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. DA Davidson cut their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $101.00 to $83.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Freshpet from $70.00 to $62.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, October 23rd. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, ten have assigned a Hold rating and two have assigned a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Freshpet currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $82.63.

Freshpet Trading Down 4.3%

The company has a current ratio of 5.52, a quick ratio of 4.61 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The company has a 50 day moving average of $58.10 and a 200 day moving average of $60.37. The firm has a market cap of $2.95 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 26.36, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.59 and a beta of 1.72.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last issued its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.86 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $1.43. The company had revenue of $288.85 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $283.73 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 11.44% and a return on equity of 5.73%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 14.0% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company earned $0.24 EPS. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Freshpet

In other news, President Scott James Morris sold 5,142 shares of Freshpet stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, December 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $62.33, for a total value of $320,500.86. Following the completion of the transaction, the president owned 30,858 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,923,379.14. The trade was a 14.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is accessible through this link. Insiders own 4.43% of the company’s stock.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Freshpet

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the business. Wasatch Advisors LP raised its position in shares of Freshpet by 41.0% during the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,839,332 shares of the company’s stock worth $260,921,000 after acquiring an additional 1,116,217 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors grew its position in shares of Freshpet by 151.8% during the 3rd quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 1,482,778 shares of the company’s stock worth $81,716,000 after buying an additional 893,949 shares during the period. Alberta Investment Management Corp bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the third quarter worth approximately $41,862,000. Champlain Investment Partners LLC lifted its holdings in Freshpet by 41.5% in the second quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,568,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,586,000 after buying an additional 753,070 shares during the period. Finally, Armistice Capital LLC boosted its stake in Freshpet by 118.4% in the third quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 1,234,802 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,050,000 after acquiring an additional 669,399 shares during the last quarter.

About Freshpet

Freshpet Inc (NASDAQ: FRPT) is a leading pet food company specializing in fresh, refrigerated meals and treats for dogs and cats. The company’s products are formulated with carefully selected, natural ingredients and are designed to offer a higher level of nutrition and freshness than traditional dry or canned pet foods. Freshpet’s offerings include refrigerated rolls, pâtés and snacks, all of which are sold through the refrigerated section of grocery, mass-market and pet specialty stores.

Freshpet’s product portfolio is built around the concept of fresh, minimally processed recipes that do not require preservatives or artificial colors.