Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Shares Down 2.3% – Time to Sell?

Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)’s stock price traded down 2.3% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $87.11 and last traded at $87.26. 271,104 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 61% from the average session volume of 686,798 shares. The stock had previously closed at $89.32.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of equities analysts have recently issued reports on the company. Oppenheimer downgraded Freshpet from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, March 11th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their target price on Freshpet from $170.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. Piper Sandler lowered their price target on Freshpet from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Friday, February 21st. Truist Financial restated 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, Jefferies Financial Group raised 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 research report on Monday, February 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have given a hold rating and thirteen have given a buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.67.

Freshpet Stock Performance

The company has a quick ratio of 3.91, a current ratio of 4.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $127.16 and a 200 day moving average of $138.23. The stock has a market cap of $4.18 billion, a PE ratio of 91.17 and a beta of 1.58.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last posted its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting the consensus estimate of $0.36. The business had revenue of $262.71 million during 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%. Equities analysts predict that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freshpet

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently modified their holdings of FRPT. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its stake in shares of Freshpet by 1.0% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,652,556 shares of the company’s stock valued at $689,090,000 after purchasing an additional 46,844 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Freshpet by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 2,881,855 shares of the company’s stock worth $430,809,000 after acquiring an additional 110,478 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Freshpet by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 844,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $127,446,000 after acquiring an additional 9,081 shares in the last quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC increased its position in shares of Freshpet by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 810,646 shares of the company’s stock worth $120,065,000 after acquiring an additional 39,129 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the fourth quarter valued at $75,253,000.

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.