Russell Investments Group Ltd. Has $4.69 Million Holdings in Freshpet, Inc. $FRPT

Key Points

• Russell Investments Group Ltd. increased its stake in Freshpet, Inc. by 45.7% during the 1st quarter, owning 56,354 shares valued at approximately $4.69 million.
• Freshpet reported $0.33 earnings per share in its recent quarterly earnings, significantly surpassing analysts' estimates of $0.12.
• Analysts maintain a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" for Freshpet, with a target share price averaging $109.29.

Russell Investments Group Ltd. grew its holdings in shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Free Report) by 45.7% during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 56,354 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 17,687 shares during the period. Russell Investments Group Ltd. owned about 0.12% of Freshpet worth $4,687,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Vident Advisory LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 2,111 shares of the company's stock worth $313,000 after acquiring an additional 82 shares during the period. Elequin Capital LP bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Tidal Investments LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 10.4% during the 4th quarter. Tidal Investments LLC now owns 2,174 shares of the company's stock worth $322,000 after acquiring an additional 205 shares during the period. Hardy Reed LLC lifted its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 10.4% during the 1st quarter. Hardy Reed LLC now owns 2,414 shares of the company's stock worth $201,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares during the period. Finally, Xponance Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 7.1% during the 1st quarter. Xponance Inc. now owns 3,611 shares of the company's stock worth $300,000 after acquiring an additional 238 shares during the period.

Analyst Ratings Changes

FRPT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Wall Street Zen raised shares of Freshpet from a "sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Saturday, August 9th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. initiated coverage on shares of Freshpet in a report on Wednesday, August 20th. They set a "neutral" rating and a $70.00 price target for the company. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Freshpet from $125.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. UBS Group began coverage on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Monday, June 16th. They issued a "sell" rating and a $65.00 target price on the stock. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $90.00 target price on shares of Freshpet and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $109.29.

Freshpet Trading Down 1.1%

Shares of FRPT stock traded down $0.62 during trading hours on Wednesday, hitting $57.46. 899,929 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,468,805. The stock's 50 day simple moving average is $67.51 and its 200 day simple moving average is $80.60. The stock has a market cap of $2.80 billion, a PE ratio of 85.76, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.02 and a beta of 1.77. Freshpet, Inc. has a 12 month low of $55.77 and a 12 month high of $164.07. The company has a quick ratio of 3.75, a current ratio of 4.81 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly 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 firm had revenue of $264.69 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate 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) earnings per share. Freshpet has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate 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.