Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Shares Gap Up – Time to Buy?

Shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) gapped up prior to trading on Monday . The stock had previously closed at $100.28, but opened at $106.28. Freshpet shares last traded at $104.21, with a volume of 406,260 shares trading hands.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities research analysts recently commented on the company. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft lifted their price objective on Freshpet from $161.00 to $163.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “sell” rating in a research report on Wednesday, November 20th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $165.00 to $155.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Friday. Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Freshpet from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, DA Davidson raised their price objective on Freshpet from $183.00 to $189.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company’s stock. Based on data from MarketBeat, Freshpet currently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $158.47.

Freshpet Stock Performance

The stock’s 50-day moving average price is $145.55 and its 200 day moving average price is $143.13. The firm has a market cap of $5.31 billion, a P/E ratio of 116.23 and a beta of 1.42. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.41, a current ratio of 4.72 and a quick ratio of 3.91.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last issued its quarterly earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, hitting the consensus estimate of $0.36. The firm had revenue of $262.71 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $275.46 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 4.81% and a return on equity of 3.92%. As a group, equities analysts predict that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Freshpet

In other news, President Scott James Morris sold 5,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, December 4th. The stock was sold at an average price of $157.38, for a total transaction of $786,900.00. Following the completion of the sale, the president now owns 122,380 shares in the company, valued at $19,260,164.40. The trade was a 3.93 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available at this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 3.70% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

Several hedge funds have recently added to or reduced their stakes in the company. Vanguard Group Inc. grew its holdings in Freshpet by 1.0% in the 4th quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 4,652,556 shares of the company’s stock valued at $689,090,000 after buying an additional 46,844 shares in the last quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Freshpet by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 2,881,855 shares of the company’s stock valued at $430,809,000 after acquiring an additional 110,478 shares in the last quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Freshpet by 1.1% in the fourth quarter. Geode Capital Management LLC now owns 844,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $127,446,000 after acquiring an additional 9,081 shares in the last quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC increased its position in Freshpet by 5.1% during the fourth quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 810,646 shares of the company’s stock worth $120,065,000 after acquiring an additional 39,129 shares during the period. Finally, Norges Bank acquired a new stake in Freshpet in the 4th quarter worth about $75,253,000.

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.