B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG Sells 26,306 Shares of Freshpet, Inc. $FRPT

Key Points

• B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG cut its stake in Freshpet by 49.8%, selling 26,306 shares and retaining 26,527 shares (about 0.05% of the company) worth $1.46 million at the end of the quarter.
• Several large institutional investors substantially increased positions — Wasatch (+41% to 3.84M shares), Champlain (+41.5% to 2.57M), AQR (+278.5% to 859,981) and a new ~$41.9M stake from Alberta Investment Management — indicating strong institutional buying.
• Freshpet beat EPS estimates ($0.64 vs. $0.43) with revenue roughly in line, but analysts remain mixed (average rating "Hold" with a consensus target of $76.47) while the stock trades near $81.79 and has a $4.01B market cap.

B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG lessened its position in shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Free Report) by 49.8% in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The firm owned 26,527 shares of the company's stock after selling 26,306 shares during the period. B. Metzler seel. Sohn & Co. AG owned approximately 0.05% of Freshpet worth $1,462,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in FRPT. Wasatch Advisors LP lifted its holdings in Freshpet by 41.0% during the 2nd quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,839,332 shares of the company's stock worth $260,921,000 after purchasing an additional 1,116,217 shares during the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC boosted its position in shares of Freshpet by 41.5% in the second quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,568,954 shares of the company's stock valued at $174,586,000 after acquiring an additional 753,070 shares during the period. AQR Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Freshpet by 278.5% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 859,981 shares of the company's stock valued at $58,444,000 after acquiring an additional 632,756 shares in the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp acquired a new position in shares of Freshpet in the third quarter valued at about $41,862,000. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd increased its position in Freshpet by 62.8% during the second quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 635,584 shares of the company's stock worth $43,194,000 after acquiring an additional 245,156 shares during the period.

Freshpet Stock Down 1.3%

FRPT stock opened at $81.79 on Wednesday. The firm has a 50-day moving average price of $71.11 and a 200-day moving average price of $61.22. Freshpet, Inc. has a 12 month low of $46.76 and a 12 month high of $91.25. 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 market capitalization of $4.01 billion, a P/E ratio of 31.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.53 and a beta of 1.66.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.21. Freshpet had a net margin of 12.63% and a return on equity of 6.93%. The company had revenue of $285.23 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $285.66 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted $0.36 EPS. The firm's revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities research analysts recently issued reports on the company. Benchmark boosted their price target on Freshpet from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lowered Freshpet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $62.00 price objective on the stock. in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Morgan Stanley raised Freshpet from an "equal weight" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price objective for the company from $71.00 to $90.00 in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Zacks Research raised Freshpet from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus raised their price target on Freshpet from $65.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Eight equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has an average rating of "Hold" and a consensus target price of $76.47.

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.

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