Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) Given Average Rating of "Moderate Buy" by Analysts

Key Points

• Freshpet shares currently have an average analyst rating of “Moderate Buy” from 18 firms, with 11 buy ratings, 6 hold ratings, and 1 sell rating. The average 12-month price target is about $74.88.
• Recent analyst actions were mostly positive, including upgrades from Oppenheimer, JPMorgan, and TD Cowen, while Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a hold rating. Several firms also set price targets in the mid-$60s to $80 range.
• Freshpet reported better-than-expected earnings for the latest quarter, posting $0.64 EPS versus $0.43 expected, while revenue rose 8.6% year over year to $285.23 million. The stock opened at $53.08, below its 52-week high of $89.80.

Shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) have received an average rating of "Moderate Buy" from the eighteen ratings firms that are currently covering the stock, Marketbeat Ratings reports. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, six have assigned a hold recommendation and eleven have given a buy recommendation to the company. The average twelve-month target price among brokerages that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $74.8750.

Several equities research analysts have weighed in on the stock. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c)" rating on shares of Freshpet in a research note on Monday, April 20th. Oppenheimer raised shares of Freshpet from a "market perform" rating to an "outperform" rating and set a $80.00 price target for the company in a research note on Friday, March 20th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised shares of Freshpet from a "neutral" rating to an "overweight" rating and lifted their price target for the company from $66.00 to $68.00 in a research note on Thursday. TD Cowen raised shares of Freshpet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and set a $80.00 price target for the company in a research note on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $66.00 price target on shares of Freshpet in a research note on Thursday.

Freshpet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FRPT opened at $53.08 on Friday. Freshpet has a twelve month low of $46.76 and a twelve month high of $89.80. The firm has a fifty day simple moving average of $68.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $64.53. The company has a market capitalization of $2.61 billion, a PE ratio of 14.19 and a beta of 1.73. The company has a quick ratio of 4.57, a current ratio of 6.18 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.21. Freshpet had a net margin of 17.63% and a return on equity of 6.22%. The business had revenue of $285.23 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $285.66 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm earned $0.36 earnings per share. Freshpet's quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, sell-side analysts forecast that Freshpet will post 1.2 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freshpet

Hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its stake in Freshpet by 606.8% in the fourth quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 417 shares of the company's stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares in the last quarter. Motiv8 Investments LLC bought a new stake in Freshpet in the fourth quarter valued at $28,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 143.0% during the fourth quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 503 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 296 shares during the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 55.0% during the third quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 555 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 197 shares during the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 445.4% during the fourth quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 529 shares of the company's stock valued at $32,000 after buying an additional 432 shares during the last quarter.

About Freshpet

Freshpet Inc NASDAQ: FRPT is a leading pet food company specializing in fresh, refrigerated meals and treats for dogs and cats. The company's products are formulated with carefully selected, natural ingredients and are designed to offer a higher level of nutrition and freshness than traditional dry or canned pet foods. Freshpet's offerings include refrigerated rolls, pâtés and snacks, all of which are sold through the refrigerated section of grocery, mass-market and pet specialty stores.

Freshpet's product portfolio is built around the concept of fresh, minimally processed recipes that do not require preservatives or artificial colors.

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