Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Now Covered by Analysts at Stifel Nicolaus

Equities researchers at Stifel Nicolaus started coverage on shares of Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) in a research note issued to investors on Thursday, Marketbeat reports. The brokerage set a "buy" rating and a $90.00 price target on the stock. Stifel Nicolaus' target price suggests a potential upside of 15.68% from the stock's previous close.

Several other research analysts have also recently weighed in on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $91.00 to $85.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Jefferies Financial Group raised shares of Freshpet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and decreased their price target for the stock from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Monday, February 24th. TD Cowen downgraded shares of Freshpet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and set a $96.00 price objective for the company. in a report on Wednesday, May 28th. Robert W. Baird cut their target price on shares of Freshpet from $125.00 to $115.00 and set an "outperform" rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, May 6th. Finally, Truist Financial downgraded Freshpet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating and lowered their price target for the company from $90.00 to $80.00 in a research report on Wednesday, April 30th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, five have issued a hold rating and nine have issued a buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, the stock presently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $126.07.

Freshpet Stock Performance

Freshpet stock traded up $0.93 during mid-day trading on Thursday, reaching $77.80. The company's stock had a trading volume of 708,459 shares, compared to its average volume of 889,892. The company has a market capitalization of $3.79 billion, a P/E ratio of 82.77 and a beta of 1.86. Freshpet has a 12-month low of $71.19 and a 12-month high of $164.07. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a quick ratio of 3.91 and a current ratio of 4.72. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $79.40 and its two-hundred day moving average price is $111.54.

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

Hedge Funds Weigh In On Freshpet

A number of large investors have recently bought and sold shares of FRPT. Armistice Capital LLC bought a new position in shares of Freshpet in the first quarter worth approximately $59,630,000. Vanguard Group Inc. raised its holdings in Freshpet by 12.3% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,223,695 shares of the company's stock valued at $434,455,000 after buying an additional 571,139 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in Freshpet during the 4th quarter valued at $75,253,000. American Century Companies Inc. grew its holdings in Freshpet by 171.9% in the 1st quarter. American Century Companies Inc. now owns 414,997 shares of the company's stock worth $34,515,000 after acquiring an additional 262,387 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC grew its holdings in Freshpet by 198.6% in the 4th quarter. Allspring Global Investments Holdings LLC now owns 381,385 shares of the company's stock worth $55,065,000 after acquiring an additional 253,679 shares during the last quarter.

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.