Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) Given Average Rating of “Moderate Buy” by Analysts

Shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) have earned an average rating of “Moderate Buy” from the fourteen brokerages that are presently covering the company, Marketbeat Ratings reports. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating on the company. The average 1 year price target among brokers that have issued a report on the stock in the last year is $164.29.

Several research analysts have recently commented on FRPT shares. TD Cowen raised their price objective on Freshpet from $160.00 to $174.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $126.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday. Finally, Oppenheimer increased their target price on Freshpet from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th.

Insider Buying and Selling at Freshpet

In other Freshpet news, President Scott James Morris sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.38, for a total transaction of $786,900.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 122,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,260,164.40. The trade was a 3.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. 3.70% of the stock is owned by company insiders.

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. M&T Bank Corp raised its stake in shares of Freshpet by 3.2% in the fourth 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 during the period. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its position in Freshpet by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 5,887 shares of the company’s stock worth $805,000 after purchasing an additional 75 shares during the period. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in shares of Freshpet by 19.1% during the fourth 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. Arizona State Retirement System grew its stake in shares of Freshpet by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 13,350 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,977,000 after buying an additional 101 shares during the last quarter. Finally, GLOBALT Investments LLC GA raised its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 3.2% in the third quarter. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA now owns 3,580 shares of the company’s stock worth $490,000 after buying an additional 111 shares during the period.

Freshpet Price Performance

Shares of Freshpet stock opened at $131.59 on Thursday. The stock has a market cap of $6.39 billion, a P/E ratio of 147.86 and a beta of 1.42. 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 stock’s fifty day moving average is $149.25 and its 200 day moving average is $142.99. Freshpet has a one year low of $84.02 and a one year high of $164.07.

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.