Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) Shares Bought by Impax Asset Management Group plc

Impax Asset Management Group plc lifted its position in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Free Report) by 40.0% in the 1st quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 70,000 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 20,000 shares during the quarter. Impax Asset Management Group plc owned 0.14% of Freshpet worth $5,822,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 124.0% in the 1st quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. now owns 241,196 shares of the company's stock valued at $20,060,000 after purchasing an additional 133,539 shares in the last quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund bought a new position in Freshpet in the first quarter worth approximately $923,000. Teacher Retirement System of Texas bought a new position in Freshpet in the first quarter worth approximately $561,000. New York State Teachers Retirement System bought a new position in Freshpet in the first quarter worth approximately $1,472,000. Finally, Amalgamated Bank raised its stake in Freshpet by 450.6% in the first quarter. Amalgamated Bank now owns 14,823 shares of the company's stock worth $1,233,000 after buying an additional 12,131 shares in the last quarter.

Freshpet Stock Down 0.6%

Shares of FRPT traded down $0.41 during mid-day trading on Friday, hitting $71.74. 594,213 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 944,230. The company has a quick ratio of 3.92, a current ratio of 4.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Freshpet, Inc. has a 1-year low of $67.03 and a 1-year high of $164.07. The company has a market capitalization of $3.50 billion, a PE ratio of 231.41, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.79. The business has a 50 day moving average of $77.51 and a 200 day moving average of $102.44.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $0.09 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, missing analysts' consensus estimates of $0.13 by ($0.04). Freshpet had a net margin of 1.54% and a return on equity of 3.16%. The company had revenue of $263.25 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $265.57 million. During the same quarter in the previous year, the company posted $0.37 EPS. The company's revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts anticipate that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several research analysts have recently commented on FRPT shares. Piper Sandler reduced their price target on Freshpet from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, March 25th. Robert W. Baird reduced their target price 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. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Freshpet from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Benchmark reduced their target price on shares of Freshpet from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Truist Financial lowered shares of Freshpet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and reduced their price objective for the stock from $90.00 to $80.00 in a research note on Wednesday, April 30th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has an average rating of "Hold" and an average price target of $122.00.

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.