Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) President Scott James Morris Sells 5,000 Shares

Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) President Scott James Morris sold 5,000 shares of Freshpet stock in a transaction dated Tuesday, November 26th. The stock was sold at an average price of $158.13, for a total value of $790,650.00. Following the sale, the president now directly owns 122,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,351,949.40. This trade represents a 3.93 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink.

Freshpet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FRPT opened at $153.24 on Thursday. The firm has a 50-day simple moving average of $143.27 and a 200-day simple moving average of $134.22. 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 market capitalization of $7.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 172.18 and a beta of 1.39. Freshpet, Inc. has a 52 week low of $68.22 and a 52 week high of $160.91.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.10. The company had revenue of $253.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $248.36 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 4.75% and a return on equity of 3.67%. Freshpet’s quarterly revenue was up 26.3% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned ($0.15) EPS. On average, equities analysts predict that Freshpet, Inc. will post 0.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several analysts have recently commented on FRPT shares. Robert W. Baird upped their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com downgraded Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lifted their price target on Freshpet from $126.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Benchmark reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price objective on shares of Freshpet in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company boosted their target price on shares of Freshpet from $157.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have assigned a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Freshpet currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $157.80.

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

Several institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the company. GAMMA Investing LLC grew its position in Freshpet by 41.1% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 371 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA grew its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 3.2% during the 3rd quarter. GLOBALT Investments LLC GA now owns 3,580 shares of the company’s stock worth $490,000 after purchasing an additional 111 shares during the period. First Horizon Advisors Inc. increased its position in shares of Freshpet by 23.0% during the 3rd quarter. First Horizon Advisors Inc. now owns 739 shares of the company’s stock worth $101,000 after purchasing an additional 138 shares during the last quarter. Parkside Financial Bank & Trust raised its holdings in Freshpet by 13.9% in the 2nd 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 period. Finally, Amalgamated Bank lifted its position in Freshpet by 6.7% in the second quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 2,740 shares of the company’s stock valued at $355,000 after buying an additional 171 shares during the last quarter.

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.