ProShare Advisors LLC Trims Stake in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

ProShare Advisors LLC decreased its holdings in shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Free Report) by 16.2% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 42,722 shares of the company's stock after selling 8,231 shares during the period. ProShare Advisors LLC owned about 0.09% of Freshpet worth $6,328,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds have also recently modified their holdings of the business. Quantinno Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the 4th quarter valued at $289,000. Nicholas Investment Partners LP grew its position in shares of Freshpet by 4.3% during the 4th quarter. Nicholas Investment Partners LP now owns 46,361 shares of the company's stock valued at $6,867,000 after acquiring an additional 1,892 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the 4th quarter valued at $70,000. Hudson Bay Capital Management LP bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the 4th quarter valued at $2,108,000. Finally, Graham Capital Management L.P. grew its position in shares of Freshpet by 70.0% during the 4th quarter. Graham Capital Management L.P. now owns 20,506 shares of the company's stock valued at $3,037,000 after acquiring an additional 8,441 shares during the period.

Freshpet Price Performance

Shares of FRPT traded down $0.39 during midday trading on Friday, hitting $84.50. 924,235 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 870,421. The firm has a 50 day moving average of $80.60 and a 200-day moving average of $118.43. Freshpet, Inc. has a 52 week low of $71.19 and a 52 week high of $164.07. The stock has a market cap of $4.12 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 89.89 and a beta of 1.85. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 3.91 and a current ratio of 4.72.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate of $0.13 by ($0.04). The business had revenue of $263.25 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $265.57 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 3.92%. The firm's quarterly revenue was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company posted $0.37 earnings per share. On average, analysts forecast that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

FRPT has been the subject of several recent analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on shares of Freshpet from $91.00 to $85.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus dropped their target price on shares of Freshpet from $135.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, April 10th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Freshpet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and dropped their target price for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Monday, February 24th. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Freshpet from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Citigroup dropped their target price on shares of Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have issued a hold rating and ten have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $133.43.

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.