Driehaus Capital Management LLC Raises Stock Holdings in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

Driehaus Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Free Report) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 810,646 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 39,129 shares during the period. Freshpet accounts for 1.0% of Driehaus Capital Management LLC's investment portfolio, making the stock its 13th largest holding. Driehaus Capital Management LLC owned about 1.67% of Freshpet worth $120,065,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other hedge funds have also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. boosted its stake in Freshpet by 302.0% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 201 shares of the company's stock worth $30,000 after acquiring an additional 151 shares in the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB acquired a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp increased its position in 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 buying an additional 123 shares in the last quarter. R Squared Ltd acquired a new position in Freshpet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $39,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc bought a new position in Freshpet in the fourth quarter worth approximately $43,000.

Freshpet Stock Performance

FRPT traded down $1.57 on Friday, hitting $80.47. The company's stock had a trading volume of 966,804 shares, compared to its average volume of 837,769. Freshpet, Inc. has a 12 month low of $71.19 and a 12 month high of $164.07. The firm has a market cap of $3.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 85.61 and a beta of 1.85. The company has a quick ratio of 3.91, a current ratio of 4.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company's 50 day simple moving average is $81.60 and its 200-day simple moving average is $122.28.

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 analysts' consensus estimates of $0.13 by ($0.04). The company had revenue of $263.25 million for the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $265.57 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 3.92%. The business's revenue for the quarter was up 17.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same quarter in the previous year, the firm posted $0.37 earnings per share. Analysts forecast that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research firms have weighed in on FRPT. Oppenheimer downgraded shares of Freshpet from an "outperform" rating to a "market perform" rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Robert W. Baird cut their price target on Freshpet from $125.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Freshpet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and lowered their price objective for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Monday, February 24th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on Freshpet from $110.00 to $100.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus cut their price target on shares of Freshpet from $135.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, April 10th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and eleven have assigned a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $135.73.

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.