Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund Takes $923,000 Position in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund purchased a new position in shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Free Report) during the first quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund purchased 11,100 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $923,000.

A number of other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FRPT. Elequin Capital LP acquired a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the 4th quarter valued at $29,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp boosted 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 purchasing an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. SBI Securities Co. Ltd. acquired a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the 4th quarter valued at $43,000. Morse Asset Management Inc acquired a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the 4th quarter valued at $70,000. Finally, GeoWealth Management LLC acquired a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the 4th quarter valued at $122,000.

Freshpet Trading Down 5.4%

NASDAQ:FRPT traded down $3.85 on Monday, hitting $67.94. 1,739,267 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,344,743. The stock has a market capitalization of $3.31 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 219.16, a P/E/G ratio of 1.44 and a beta of 1.79. Freshpet, Inc. has a 52 week low of $66.75 and a 52 week high of $164.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 3.92 and a current ratio of 4.91. The company's 50-day moving average price is $77.51 and its 200 day moving average price is $102.17.

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

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several equities research analysts have recently commented on FRPT shares. TD Cowen downgraded shares of Freshpet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $96.00 target price on the stock. in a research note on Wednesday, May 28th. Wells Fargo & Company reduced their price target on shares of Freshpet from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Robert W. Baird reduced their price target on shares of Freshpet from $125.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Freshpet from $91.00 to $85.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, UBS Group started coverage on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Monday, June 16th. They set a "sell" rating and a $65.00 price target on the stock. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and nine have given a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus 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.