Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Cut to “Sell” at StockNews.com

StockNews.com lowered shares of Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) from a hold rating to a sell rating in a report issued on Wednesday morning.

A number of other research analysts have also issued reports on FRPT. TD Cowen raised their price target on shares of Freshpet from $160.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Friday, November 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Freshpet from $126.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Stifel Nicolaus increased their price objective on Freshpet from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company raised their price objective on Freshpet from $157.00 to $175.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $157.80.

Freshpet Stock Down 2.2 %

Freshpet stock opened at $153.00 on Wednesday. Freshpet has a 1-year low of $68.22 and a 1-year high of $159.12. The business has a fifty day moving average price of $141.99 and a 200-day moving average price of $133.12. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 4.72 and a quick ratio of 3.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.43 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 171.91 and a beta of 1.39.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.10. Freshpet had a return on equity of 3.67% and a net margin of 4.75%. The business had revenue of $253.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $248.36 million. During the same quarter last year, the company earned ($0.15) earnings per share. The company’s quarterly revenue was up 26.3% on a year-over-year basis. Equities research analysts forecast that Freshpet will post 0.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Freshpet news, insider Thembeka Machaba sold 2,500 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.85, for a total transaction of $384,625.00. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 2,178 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.01, for a total value of $304,941.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 86,039 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,046,320.39. This trade represents a 2.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by company insiders.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freshpet

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FRPT. Axxcess Wealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Freshpet in the first quarter worth about $811,000. SG Americas Securities LLC purchased a new position in Freshpet in the 2nd quarter worth approximately $3,964,000. Geneva Capital Management LLC boosted its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 166.2% during the 3rd quarter. Geneva Capital Management LLC now owns 84,221 shares of the company’s stock worth $11,519,000 after purchasing an additional 52,584 shares during the last quarter. Great Lakes Advisors LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the second quarter valued at approximately $4,299,000. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 0.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,666,407 shares of the company’s stock valued at $540,650,000 after purchasing an additional 13,709 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.