Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Director Walter George Buys 1,000 Shares

Key Points

• Freshpet's Director Walter George purchased 1,000 shares at $52.57 each, increasing his stake to 46,527 shares valued at approximately $2.45 million.
• Despite a recent 2.4% decline in stock price, Freshpet reported a year-over-year revenue increase of 12.5% and surpassed earnings estimates by $0.21 per share.
• Numerous analysts have revised their price targets for Freshpet; while Stifel Nicolaus maintained a "buy" rating with a target of $90.00, UBS Group downgraded their target to $48.00 with a "sell" rating.

Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) Director Walter George purchased 1,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction on Monday, September 8th. The stock was bought at an average cost of $52.57 per share, with a total value of $52,570.00. Following the completion of the purchase, the director owned 46,527 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $2,445,924.39. This represents a 2.20% increase in their position. The acquisition was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through the SEC website.

Freshpet Stock Down 2.4%

Freshpet stock traded down $1.30 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $52.12. The stock had a trading volume of 1,489,143 shares, compared to its average volume of 1,542,647. The stock's 50-day simple moving average is $62.37 and its 200-day simple moving average is $73.61. Freshpet, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $51.90 and a fifty-two week high of $164.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.40, a quick ratio of 3.75 and a current ratio of 4.81. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.54 billion, a PE ratio of 52.37, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 0.94 and a beta of 1.72.

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

Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freshpet

Institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the stock. Elequin Capital LP purchased a new position in Freshpet in the 4th quarter worth approximately $29,000. Banque Transatlantique SA bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the 1st quarter worth approximately $25,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new stake in Freshpet in the first quarter worth $34,000. State of Wyoming purchased a new stake in Freshpet during the second quarter valued at about $34,000. Finally, EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC grew its stake in shares of Freshpet by 1,388.2% during the second quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 506 shares of the company's stock valued at $34,000 after buying an additional 472 shares during the last quarter.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on FRPT shares. Stifel Nicolaus set a $90.00 price objective on shares of Freshpet and gave the stock a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, June 12th. Wells Fargo & Company dropped their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $100.00 to $88.00 and set an "overweight" rating on the stock in a report on Wednesday, July 9th. Zacks Research upgraded shares of Freshpet from a "strong sell" rating to a "hold" rating in a research note on Friday, August 22nd. UBS Group dropped their price target on shares of Freshpet from $65.00 to $48.00 and set a "sell" rating on the stock in a research note on Monday, September 8th. Finally, Benchmark reiterated a "buy" rating and issued a $95.00 price objective (down from $120.00) on shares of Freshpet in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company. According to MarketBeat, the company has a consensus rating of "Hold" and a consensus price target of $108.07.

Freshpet Company 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.

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.