Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) Shares Sold by Sarasin & Partners LLP

Sarasin & Partners LLP cut its holdings in shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) by 20.0% in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 20,000 shares of the company’s stock after selling 5,000 shares during the period. Sarasin & Partners LLP’s holdings in Freshpet were worth $2,735,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of FRPT. GAMMA Investing LLC boosted its position in Freshpet by 41.1% during the 2nd quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 371 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 108 shares during the period. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust lifted its stake in Freshpet by 13.9% in the second quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust now owns 1,305 shares of the company’s stock valued at $169,000 after buying an additional 159 shares during the last quarter. Amalgamated Bank boosted its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 6.7% during the second quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 2,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $355,000 after acquiring an additional 171 shares during the period. CWM LLC grew its position in shares of Freshpet by 65.9% during the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock worth $64,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, RiverPark Advisors LLC grew its position in shares of Freshpet by 9.6% during the second quarter. RiverPark Advisors LLC now owns 2,568 shares of the company’s stock worth $332,000 after acquiring an additional 226 shares during the last quarter.

Freshpet Trading Up 2.5 %

NASDAQ FRPT traded up $3.48 on Friday, hitting $143.13. 54,696 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 585,458. The company’s 50-day moving average price is $135.33 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $126.19. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a current ratio of 4.50 and a quick ratio of 3.69. Freshpet, Inc. has a 52-week low of $54.60 and a 52-week high of $144.38. The company has a market capitalization of $6.94 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 279.31 and a beta of 1.39.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last released its earnings results on Monday, August 5th. The company reported ($0.03) earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.09) by $0.06. The company had revenue of $235.30 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $230.99 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 2.86% and a return on equity of 1.78%. The company’s revenue was up 28.4% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.35) EPS. Research analysts predict that Freshpet, Inc. will post 0.72 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FRPT has been the subject of a number of analyst reports. Oppenheimer boosted their target price on shares of Freshpet from $135.00 to $155.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, June 25th. Robert W. Baird raised their target price on Freshpet from $140.00 to $157.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, September 3rd. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Wednesday, August 7th. Wells Fargo & Company raised their price target on Freshpet from $140.00 to $145.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, TD Cowen upped their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $143.00 to $160.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, September 4th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twelve have assigned a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $142.87.

Insider Activity

In other news, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 2,178 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, September 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $140.01, for a total transaction of $304,941.78. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 86,039 shares in the company, valued at approximately $12,046,320.39. This represents a 0.00 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. 3.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

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.