Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Stock Price Down 7.4% Following Analyst Downgrade

Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)’s share price was down 7.4% on Monday after Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price target on the stock from $155.00 to $135.00. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the stock. Freshpet traded as low as $88.11 and last traded at $89.70. Approximately 1,268,571 shares traded hands during trading, an increase of 8% from the average daily volume of 1,170,024 shares. The stock had previously closed at $96.86.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on FRPT. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price objective on Freshpet from $170.00 to $142.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research note on Friday, February 21st. Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and lowered their price target for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research report on Monday, February 24th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut their price objective on Freshpet from $154.00 to $102.00 and set an “overweight” rating for the company in a report on Monday. StockNews.com lowered shares of Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 20th. Finally, Piper Sandler reduced their price target on shares of Freshpet from $180.00 to $160.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, February 21st. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, one has assigned a hold rating and fourteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $151.67.

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Universal Beteiligungs und Servicegesellschaft mbH acquired a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $14,678,000. Forum Financial Management LP acquired a new stake in Freshpet during the 4th quarter worth $215,000. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its position in shares of Freshpet by 24.3% in the 4th quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 51,129 shares of the company’s stock worth $7,573,000 after purchasing an additional 10,009 shares during the last quarter. Elequin Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the fourth quarter worth $29,000. Finally, UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC increased its holdings in Freshpet by 8.2% in the fourth quarter. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC now owns 174,580 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,857,000 after purchasing an additional 13,298 shares during the last quarter.

Freshpet Stock Down 12.2 %

The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 4.72 and a quick ratio of 3.91. The stock has a market cap of $4.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 90.48 and a beta of 1.58. The firm has a 50 day simple moving average of $136.84 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $141.04.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.36 earnings per share for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36. The business had revenue of $262.71 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $275.46 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 3.92%. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

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.