Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Given New $140.00 Price Target at Benchmark

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) had its price target cut by investment analysts at Benchmark from $195.00 to $140.00 in a research note issued on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Benchmark’s price target would suggest a potential upside of 73.82% from the stock’s previous close.

Several other equities analysts have also recently commented on FRPT. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Freshpet from $102.00 to $91.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their target price on Freshpet from $135.00 to $115.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Citigroup lowered their price target on Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Monday, February 24th. Finally, Oppenheimer cut shares of Freshpet from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, Freshpet has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $143.80.

Freshpet Stock Performance

NASDAQ FRPT traded down $0.70 on Tuesday, reaching $80.55. The stock had a trading volume of 72,812 shares, compared to its average volume of 788,144. 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 company has a market cap of $3.92 billion, a P/E ratio of 85.51 and a beta of 1.80. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $98.00 and a two-hundred day moving average of $130.41. Freshpet has a 1-year low of $72.90 and a 1-year high of $164.07.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Freshpet

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of the business. M&T Bank Corp increased its stake in shares of Freshpet by 3.2% in the 4th quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 2,253 shares of the company’s stock valued at $333,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares in the last quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC increased its stake in Freshpet by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,887 shares of the company’s stock valued at $805,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares in the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC raised its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 4.0% during the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 2,111 shares of the company’s stock valued at $313,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Freedom Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Freshpet by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,678 shares of the company’s stock worth $249,000 after purchasing an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Finally, GAMMA Investing LLC grew its stake in shares of Freshpet by 19.1% in the 4th quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 573 shares of the company’s stock valued at $85,000 after buying an additional 92 shares during the period.

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.