Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Stock Price Up 1% – Should You Buy?

Shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) were up 1% during mid-day trading on Friday . The stock traded as high as $87.33 and last traded at $87.27. Approximately 122,536 shares were traded during mid-day trading, a decline of 82% from the average daily volume of 697,402 shares. The stock had previously closed at $86.42.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on FRPT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Freshpet from $154.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Freshpet from $155.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Monday, March 10th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded shares of Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Monday, February 24th. Truist Financial reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $140.00 price target (down previously from $170.00) on shares of Freshpet in a research note on Tuesday, February 25th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their price target on shares of Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. One 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. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.67.

Freshpet Stock Performance

The company has a market capitalization of $4.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 92.44 and a beta of 1.58. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 3.91 and a current ratio of 4.72. The business’s fifty day simple moving average is $125.96 and its 200-day simple moving average is $137.87.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.36. The business had revenue of $262.71 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $275.46 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 3.92%. As a group, equities analysts anticipate that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

Several hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its stake in Freshpet by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,652,556 shares of the company’s stock worth $689,090,000 after purchasing an additional 46,844 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC lifted its stake in Freshpet by 4.0% in the 4th quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 2,881,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $430,809,000 after purchasing an additional 110,478 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC lifted its stake in Freshpet by 1.1% in the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 844,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $127,446,000 after purchasing an additional 9,081 shares in the last quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC raised its position in shares of Freshpet by 5.1% during the 4th quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 810,646 shares of the company’s stock valued at $120,065,000 after buying an additional 39,129 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the 4th quarter valued at about $75,253,000.

Freshpet Company Profile

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.