Stifel Nicolaus Boosts Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Price Target to $165.00

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) had its price objective raised by research analysts at Stifel Nicolaus from $155.00 to $165.00 in a note issued to investors on Wednesday,Benzinga reports. The firm currently has a “buy” rating on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus’ price target would indicate a potential upside of 7.69% from the company’s previous close.

Several other equities research analysts have also recently weighed in on FRPT. Wells Fargo & Company upped their price target on Freshpet from $157.00 to $175.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a research report on Tuesday. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their target price on shares of Freshpet from $126.00 to $154.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Friday, November 1st. Bank of America increased their price objective on Freshpet from $140.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Wednesday, July 10th. Finally, Truist Financial lifted their price objective on Freshpet from $160.00 to $170.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. One 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, the company has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $156.13.

Freshpet Trading Down 1.3 %

Shares of Freshpet stock opened at $153.22 on Wednesday. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.43 billion, a P/E ratio of 172.16 and a beta of 1.39. Freshpet has a 52-week low of $65.81 and a 52-week high of $157.10. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.42, a quick ratio of 3.69 and a current ratio of 4.50. The stock’s 50-day simple moving average is $138.96 and its 200 day simple moving average is $129.97.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.24 EPS for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.14 by $0.10. Freshpet had a net margin of 4.75% and a return on equity of 3.72%. The company had revenue of $253.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $248.36 million. During the same period last year, the firm earned ($0.15) EPS. Freshpet’s revenue for the quarter was up 26.3% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Freshpet will post 0.73 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

A number of institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the stock. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Freshpet by 0.3% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,666,407 shares of the company’s stock worth $540,650,000 after acquiring an additional 13,709 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC boosted its stake in Freshpet by 749.7% in the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 2,771,377 shares of the company’s stock worth $376,187,000 after purchasing an additional 2,445,199 shares in the last quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP grew its position in Freshpet by 2.5% during the 2nd quarter. Dimensional Fund Advisors LP now owns 923,507 shares of the company’s stock valued at $119,492,000 after purchasing an additional 22,759 shares during the last quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC increased its stake in Freshpet by 24.4% during the 2nd quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 721,288 shares of the company’s stock valued at $93,327,000 after purchasing an additional 141,615 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Sei Investments Co. increased its stake in Freshpet by 4.4% during the 1st quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 249,021 shares of the company’s stock valued at $28,852,000 after purchasing an additional 10,456 shares in the last quarter.

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.