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

Key Points

• Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) has received a consensus recommendation of "Moderate Buy" from analysts, with an average 12-month price target of $103.33.
• Recent insider trading activity included Director Timothy R. Mclevish acquiring 3,500 shares at $56.00 each, increasing his ownership by 11.01%.
• Freshpet's revenue grew by 12.5% year-over-year, reporting $264.69 million, despite slightly missing analyst revenue estimates.

Shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) have been assigned a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" from the seventeen brokerages that are currently covering the firm, Marketbeat reports. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell recommendation, seven have given a hold recommendation, eight have given a buy recommendation and one has assigned a strong buy recommendation to the company. The average 12-month price target among analysts that have issued ratings on the stock in the last year is $103.3333.

Several equities research analysts have recently issued reports on FRPT shares. Bank of America reaffirmed a "neutral" rating and issued a $60.00 target price (down from $81.00) on shares of Freshpet in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Weiss Ratings reaffirmed a "hold (c-)" rating on shares of Freshpet in a report on Wednesday, October 8th. Zacks Research upgraded Freshpet from a "hold" rating to a "strong-buy" rating in a research report on Friday, October 3rd. DA Davidson set a $101.00 price target on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Thursday, August 7th. Finally, Benchmark reaffirmed a "buy" rating and set a $95.00 price target (down previously from $120.00) on shares of Freshpet in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th.

Insider Activity at Freshpet

In related news, Director Timothy R. Mclevish acquired 3,500 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Wednesday, September 10th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $56.00 per share, for a total transaction of $196,000.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the director directly owned 35,290 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,976,240. This trade represents a 11.01% increase in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at this hyperlink. Also, Director Walter N. George bought 1,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, September 8th. The stock was bought at an average price of $52.57 per share, with a total value of $52,570.00. Following the acquisition, the director owned 46,527 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,445,924.39. This trade represents a 2.20% increase in their position. The disclosure for this purchase can be found here. In the last quarter, insiders acquired 6,008 shares of company stock valued at $332,305. Insiders own 4.43% of the company's stock.

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

A number of institutional investors have recently bought and sold shares of FRPT. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the first quarter valued at $25,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in Freshpet during the 1st quarter valued at about $34,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Freshpet by 1,388.2% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 506 shares of the company's stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 472 shares during the period. State of Wyoming bought a new stake in Freshpet in the second quarter worth about $34,000. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Freshpet in the second quarter worth about $35,000.

Freshpet Trading Up 0.8%

Shares of FRPT opened at $51.72 on Tuesday. The firm has a market cap of $2.52 billion, a P/E ratio of 77.19, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 1.15 and a beta of 1.74. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a current ratio of 4.81 and a quick ratio of 3.75. Freshpet has a 1 year low of $46.76 and a 1 year high of $164.07. The company has a 50 day simple moving average of $54.66 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $67.95.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) last issued its earnings results on Monday, August 4th. The company reported $0.33 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts' consensus estimates of $0.12 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $264.69 million during the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $269.75 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 3.23% and a return on equity of 4.82%. Freshpet's revenue for the quarter was up 12.5% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the business earned ($0.03) earnings per share. Freshpet has set its FY 2025 guidance at EPS. On average, equities analysts expect that Freshpet will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

About Freshpet

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.

This instant news alert was generated by narrative science technology and financial data from MarketBeat in order to provide readers with the fastest and most accurate reporting. This story was reviewed by MarketBeat's editorial team prior to publication. Please send any questions or comments about this story to contact@marketbeat.com.