Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft Issues Pessimistic Forecast for Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Stock Price

Key Points

• Deutsche Bank cut its price target on Freshpet to $62 (from $69) and kept a "hold" rating, implying roughly a 10% upside from the stock's current price.
• Analyst coverage is mixed—MarketBeat shows a consensus "Hold" with a mean target of $76 and 9 Buys, 8 Holds and 1 Sell among covering analysts.
• Freshpet recently beat EPS estimates ($0.64 vs. $0.43) while revenue was essentially in line at $285.23M; shares traded near $56.37 with a P/E of about 22.05.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) had its price objective decreased by analysts at Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft from $69.00 to $62.00 in a research note issued to investors on Monday,Benzinga reports. The brokerage presently has a "hold" rating on the stock. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft's price objective indicates a potential upside of 9.99% from the stock's current price.

Several other research firms have also recently issued reports on FRPT. Benchmark increased their target price on shares of Freshpet from $90.00 to $93.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research note on Monday, March 23rd. TD Cowen reaffirmed a "hold" rating on shares of Freshpet in a report on Tuesday, March 17th. Bank of America increased their price objective on Freshpet from $60.00 to $67.00 and gave the stock a "neutral" rating in a research report on Friday, December 19th. Weiss Ratings raised Freshpet from a "sell (d+)" rating to a "hold (c-)" rating in a research note on Monday, December 29th. Finally, Morgan Stanley upgraded Freshpet from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and upped their target price for the stock from $71.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Nine research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have assigned a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $76.00.

Freshpet Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FRPT traded up $0.44 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $56.37. The company's stock had a trading volume of 284,745 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,495,865. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.77 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 22.05, a P/E/G ratio of 1.86 and a beta of 1.66. Freshpet has a one year low of $46.76 and a one year high of $89.80. The company has a current ratio of 5.54, a quick ratio of 4.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The stock has a fifty day moving average price of $72.26 and a 200 day moving average price of $62.25.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.21. Freshpet had a return on equity of 6.93% and a net margin of 12.63%.The business had revenue of $285.23 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $285.66 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.36 EPS. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts forecast that Freshpet will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Freshpet

A number of large investors have recently modified their holdings of the company. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd raised its position in Freshpet by 606.8% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 417 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares during the last quarter. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new position in shares of Freshpet during the fourth quarter valued at approximately $28,000. Signaturefd LLC lifted its stake in Freshpet by 143.0% in the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 503 shares of the company's stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares during the period. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its holdings in Freshpet by 55.0% in the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 555 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB boosted its holdings in Freshpet by 445.4% in the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 529 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 432 shares in the last quarter.

Freshpet Company Profile

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest reporting and unbiased coverage. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.