Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) Shares Acquired by UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC

UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC raised its stake in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Free Report) by 8.2% during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 174,580 shares of the company's stock after purchasing an additional 13,298 shares during the period. UBS AM a distinct business unit of UBS ASSET MANAGEMENT AMERICAS LLC owned about 0.36% of Freshpet worth $25,857,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in the business. M&T Bank Corp raised its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 3.2% in the fourth quarter. M&T Bank Corp now owns 2,253 shares of the company's stock worth $333,000 after acquiring an additional 70 shares during the last quarter. Vident Advisory LLC boosted its position in Freshpet by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. Vident Advisory LLC now owns 2,111 shares of the company's stock valued at $313,000 after purchasing an additional 82 shares during the period. Freedom Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in Freshpet by 5.3% during the 4th quarter. Freedom Investment Management Inc. now owns 1,678 shares of the company's stock valued at $249,000 after acquiring an additional 84 shares in the last quarter. Arizona State Retirement System raised its stake in shares of Freshpet by 0.8% in the 4th quarter. Arizona State Retirement System now owns 13,350 shares of the company's stock worth $1,977,000 after buying an additional 101 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Williamson Legacy Group LLC raised its stake in shares of Freshpet by 1.6% in the 4th quarter. Williamson Legacy Group LLC now owns 6,903 shares of the company's stock worth $1,022,000 after buying an additional 112 shares in the last quarter.

Freshpet Trading Down 1.1%

NASDAQ:FRPT traded down $0.91 during mid-day trading on Friday, reaching $79.49. 1,509,549 shares of the company's stock traded hands, compared to its average volume of 881,898. Freshpet, Inc. has a 12-month low of $71.19 and a 12-month high of $164.07. The company has a 50 day moving average price of $80.07 and a 200-day moving average price of $115.63. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 4.72 and a quick ratio of 3.91. The firm has a market capitalization of $3.88 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 84.56 and a beta of 1.85.

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

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have recently weighed in on FRPT shares. Robert W. Baird lowered their price target on Freshpet from $125.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating on the stock in a report on Tuesday, May 6th. Stifel Nicolaus lowered their price objective on Freshpet from $135.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, April 10th. Citigroup decreased their price target on Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Freshpet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and cut their target price for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their target price on Freshpet from $91.00 to $85.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have given a hold rating and nine have assigned a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $127.86.

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.