Empowered Funds LLC Makes New Investment in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

Empowered Funds LLC purchased a new stake in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The fund purchased 42,934 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $6,359,000.

Several other large investors have also modified their holdings of the business. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. increased its holdings in Freshpet by 302.0% during the fourth quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after buying an additional 151 shares during the period. ORG Wealth Partners LLC bought a new stake in Freshpet during the 3rd quarter valued at $29,000. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new position in shares of Freshpet in the 3rd quarter valued at $32,000. R Squared Ltd bought a new position in shares of Freshpet in the 4th quarter worth $39,000. Finally, Brooklyn Investment Group purchased a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the 3rd quarter worth $54,000.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other news, President Scott James Morris sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction dated Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.38, for a total value of $786,900.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the president now owns 122,380 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $19,260,164.40. The trade was a 3.93 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. 3.70% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several equities analysts have issued reports on the company. Robert W. Baird lifted their target price on Freshpet from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $161.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Benchmark restated a “buy” rating and issued a $150.00 target price on shares of Freshpet in a research note on Friday, November 1st. Oppenheimer upped their price target on Freshpet from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Thursday, November 14th. Finally, StockNews.com cut Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and twelve have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $163.36.

Freshpet Trading Down 11.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FRPT opened at $130.35 on Tuesday. The company has a quick ratio of 3.91, a current ratio of 4.72 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41. Freshpet, Inc. has a 52-week low of $84.02 and a 52-week high of $164.07. The stock has a market cap of $6.33 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 146.46 and a beta of 1.42. The business has a 50-day moving average price of $150.26 and a 200-day moving average price of $142.98.

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.