Analysts Set Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) Price Target at $75.94

Shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) have received an average recommendation of “Moderate Buy” from the eighteen research firms that are currently covering the stock, MarketBeat.com reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, seven have issued a hold rating and ten have given a buy rating to the company. The average 12 month price target among brokerages that have updated their coverage on the stock in the last year is $75.9375.

A number of research analysts have commented on FRPT shares. Stephens restated an “overweight” rating and set a $90.00 price objective on shares of Freshpet in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. TD Cowen upgraded Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on Freshpet from $80.00 to $66.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, March 25th. DA Davidson upped their price target on Freshpet from $98.00 to $101.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Monday. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $90.00 to $78.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th.

Freshpet Stock Down 2.1%

Shares of NASDAQ:FRPT opened at $67.34 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $70.43 and a 200-day simple moving average of $63.24. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.30 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.20 and a beta of 1.78. Freshpet has a 1 year low of $46.76 and a 1 year high of $89.80. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a quick ratio of 4.57 and a current ratio of 5.54.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.21. Freshpet had a net margin of 12.63% and a return on equity of 6.93%. The firm had revenue of $285.23 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $285.66 million. During the same period in the previous year, the company posted $0.36 earnings per share. Freshpet’s revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities analysts forecast that Freshpet will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

Several large investors have recently modified their holdings of FRPT. Optimize Financial Inc lifted its position in shares of Freshpet by 1.4% in the fourth quarter. Optimize Financial Inc now owns 10,957 shares of the company’s stock worth $668,000 after purchasing an additional 156 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund grew its position in Freshpet by 1.5% during the fourth quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 11,164 shares of the company’s stock valued at $680,000 after purchasing an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC increased its stake in Freshpet by 55.0% in the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Freshpet by 32.0% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 882 shares of the company’s stock valued at $53,000 after buying an additional 214 shares during the period. Finally, Ossiam lifted its position in Freshpet by 81.1% in the 2nd quarter. Ossiam now owns 509 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,000 after buying an additional 228 shares in the last quarter.

About Freshpet

Freshpet Inc (NASDAQ: FRPT) is a leading pet food company specializing in fresh, refrigerated meals and treats for dogs and cats. The company’s products are formulated with carefully selected, natural ingredients and are designed to offer a higher level of nutrition and freshness than traditional dry or canned pet foods. Freshpet’s offerings include refrigerated rolls, pâtés and snacks, all of which are sold through the refrigerated section of grocery, mass-market and pet specialty stores.

Freshpet’s product portfolio is built around the concept of fresh, minimally processed recipes that do not require preservatives or artificial colors.