Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC Invests $1.77 Million in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

Schonfeld Strategic Advisors LLC purchased a new position in shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT - Free Report) in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The fund purchased 11,980 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $1,774,000.

A number of other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its position in Freshpet by 1.0% during the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,652,556 shares of the company's stock worth $689,090,000 after acquiring an additional 46,844 shares during the period. WCM Investment Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Freshpet by 4.0% during the 4th quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 2,881,855 shares of the company's stock valued at $430,809,000 after buying an additional 110,478 shares during the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC raised its stake in shares of Freshpet by 1.1% during the 4th quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 844,744 shares of the company's stock valued at $127,446,000 after buying an additional 9,081 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank purchased a new position in shares of Freshpet during the 4th quarter valued at about $75,253,000. Finally, Northern Trust Corp raised its stake in shares of Freshpet by 14.7% during the 4th quarter. Northern Trust Corp now owns 408,633 shares of the company's stock valued at $60,523,000 after buying an additional 52,284 shares during the last quarter.

Freshpet Price Performance

NASDAQ:FRPT traded down $1.57 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $80.47. 966,804 shares of the stock were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 837,769. Freshpet, Inc. has a 52-week low of $71.19 and a 52-week high of $164.07. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $81.60 and its 200 day moving average price is $122.20. The company has a current ratio of 4.72, a quick ratio of 3.91 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. The company has a market cap of $3.93 billion, a P/E ratio of 85.61 and a beta of 1.85.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT - Get Free Report) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, May 5th. The company reported $0.09 EPS for the quarter, missing the consensus estimate 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 analysts' expectations of $265.57 million. During the same quarter last year, the firm posted $0.37 earnings per share. Freshpet's quarterly revenue was up 17.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, equities research analysts anticipate that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on FRPT shares. Stifel Nicolaus reduced their price objective on Freshpet from $135.00 to $115.00 and set a "buy" rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, April 10th. Piper Sandler reduced their price objective on Freshpet from $160.00 to $145.00 and set an "overweight" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, March 25th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price objective on Freshpet from $91.00 to $85.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Tuesday, May 6th. Citigroup reduced their price objective on Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research note on Wednesday, February 12th. Finally, Jefferies Financial Group upgraded Freshpet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating and reduced their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a research note on Monday, February 24th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, four have given a hold rating and eleven have issued a buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently 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.