Sigma Planning Corp Sells 1,211 Shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

Sigma Planning Corp trimmed its holdings in shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) by 22.7% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The fund owned 4,119 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,211 shares during the period. Sigma Planning Corp’s holdings in Freshpet were worth $357,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the business. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. grew its holdings in Freshpet by 0.8% during the 3rd quarter. Oppenheimer Asset Management Inc. now owns 33,662 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,218,000 after acquiring an additional 279 shares in the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank grew its holdings in Freshpet by 4.6% during the 3rd quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 7,678 shares of the company’s stock worth $506,000 after acquiring an additional 335 shares in the last quarter. RiverPark Advisors LLC bought a new position in Freshpet during the 3rd quarter worth about $28,000. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank grew its holdings in Freshpet by 4.4% during the 4th quarter. Zurcher Kantonalbank Zurich Cantonalbank now owns 10,428 shares of the company’s stock worth $905,000 after acquiring an additional 442 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Arizona State Retirement System grew its holdings in Freshpet by 3.8% during the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 12,806 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,111,000 after acquiring an additional 474 shares in the last quarter.

Insider Activity at Freshpet

In related news, COO Scott James Morris sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The stock was sold at an average price of $113.76, for a total value of $284,400.00. Following the transaction, the chief operating officer now directly owns 122,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $13,921,948.80. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Freshpet news, COO Scott James Morris sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Thursday, February 29th. The shares were sold at an average price of $113.76, for a total value of $284,400.00. Following the sale, the chief operating officer now directly owns 122,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $13,921,948.80. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 7,130 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction on Wednesday, February 28th. The shares were sold at an average price of $108.53, for a total transaction of $773,818.90. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now directly owns 85,056 shares in the company, valued at $9,231,127.68. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold a total of 15,762 shares of company stock valued at $1,737,280 in the last ninety days. Company insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

Freshpet Price Performance

NASDAQ FRPT opened at $106.36 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.44, a current ratio of 4.79 and a quick ratio of 4.08. The stock’s fifty day moving average price is $107.77 and its 200 day moving average price is $86.81. Freshpet, Inc. has a 1 year low of $54.60 and a 1 year high of $117.76. The company has a market cap of $5.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of -147.86 and a beta of 1.23.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 26th. The company reported $0.31 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.09 by $0.22. Freshpet had a negative return on equity of 3.56% and a negative net margin of 4.38%. The firm had revenue of $215.40 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $204.93 million. During the same period in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.06) EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 29.9% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts forecast that Freshpet, Inc. will post 0.07 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have issued reports on the stock. StockNews.com upgraded shares of Freshpet to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price target on shares of Freshpet from $115.00 to $135.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, April 11th. Citigroup initiated coverage on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Thursday, February 1st. They set a “neutral” rating and a $94.00 price target for the company. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price target on shares of Freshpet from $67.00 to $102.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. Finally, Piper Sandler increased their price target on shares of Freshpet from $100.00 to $130.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 27th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $107.36.

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.