Louisiana State Employees Retirement System Makes New $1.91 Million Investment in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

Louisiana State Employees Retirement System purchased a new stake in shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Free Report) during the 1st quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund purchased 22,900 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,905,000.

A number of other large investors have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in FRPT. Elequin Capital LP acquired a new position in Freshpet in the fourth quarter valued at about $29,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp raised its stake in shares of Freshpet by 130.9% in the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 217 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 123 shares during the period. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new position in shares of Freshpet in the 4th quarter worth approximately $70,000. GeoWealth Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Freshpet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $122,000. Finally, Teza Capital Management LLC purchased a new position in shares of Freshpet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $211,000.

Freshpet Stock Down 1.6%

Freshpet stock traded down $1.13 during trading on Friday, reaching $70.82. The stock had a trading volume of 1,055,749 shares, compared to its average volume of 960,945. 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 52-week low of $66.75 and a 52-week high of $164.07. The stock has a market cap of $3.45 billion, a PE ratio of 228.45, a P/E/G ratio of 1.36 and a beta of 1.79. The business has a 50 day moving average price of $76.04 and a 200 day moving average price of $97.53.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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 firm had revenue of $263.25 million for the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $265.57 million. Freshpet had a return on equity of 3.16% and a net margin of 1.54%. Freshpet's revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.37 earnings per share. On average, analysts predict that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of brokerages have issued reports on FRPT. Stifel Nicolaus set a $90.00 target price on Freshpet and gave the company a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, June 12th. TD Cowen downgraded Freshpet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $96.00 price objective on the stock. in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their target price on Freshpet from $91.00 to $85.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Benchmark lowered their target price on Freshpet from $140.00 to $120.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Robert W. Baird cut their price target on shares of Freshpet from $125.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and eight have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $119.14.

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.