16,991 Shares in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) Bought by Zions Bancorporation National Association UT

Key Points

• Zions Bancorporation National Association UT acquired 16,991 shares of Freshpet, Inc. for approximately $1.41 million, indicating growing interest in the company.
• Equities research analysts have mixed ratings on Freshpet, with one firm upgrading to "hold," while others like Wells Fargo revised their target price down to $88.00.
• Freshpet reported $0.33 EPS for the last quarter, exceeding estimates and showing a 12.5% year-over-year revenue growth despite overall revenue falling slightly short of expectations.

Zions Bancorporation National Association UT bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The firm bought 16,991 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,413,000.

Several other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Vident Advisory LLC raised its position in Freshpet by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 2,111 shares of the company's stock valued at $313,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Freedom Investment Management Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 5.3% in the fourth quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,678 shares of the company's stock valued at $249,000 after buying an additional 84 shares during the last quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina raised its holdings in Freshpet by 0.6% during the fourth quarter. Treasurer of the State of North Carolina now owns 20,462 shares of the company's stock worth $3,031,000 after purchasing an additional 120 shares in the last quarter. Elequin Capital LP purchased a new position in Freshpet in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Finally, Tidal Investments LLC increased its holdings in Freshpet by 10.4% in the fourth quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 2,174 shares of the company's stock valued at $322,000 after buying an additional 205 shares in the last quarter.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

FRPT has been the topic of several research reports. Wells Fargo & Company lowered their price target on shares of Freshpet from $100.00 to $88.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, July 9th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on Freshpet from $125.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. DA Davidson set a $101.00 price target on Freshpet in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. UBS Group began coverage on Freshpet in a research note on Monday, June 16th. They set a "sell" rating and a $65.00 price target on the stock. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised Freshpet from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Saturday. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, six have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $110.36.

Freshpet Price Performance

Shares of FRPT stock traded up $0.33 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $62.70. The company's stock had a trading volume of 921,997 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,462,699. Freshpet, Inc. has a 1-year low of $61.60 and a 1-year high of $164.07. The company has a market cap of $3.06 billion, a P/E ratio of 93.58, a PEG ratio of 1.10 and a beta of 1.77. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 3.75 and a current ratio of 4.81. The firm's 50-day moving average is $71.03 and its two-hundred day moving average is $87.37.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.12 by $0.21. The company had revenue of $264.69 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $269.75 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 3.23% and a return on equity of 4.82%. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned ($0.03) EPS. On average, research analysts predict that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.

Freshpet 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.