Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) President Scott James Morris Sells 63,135 Shares

Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) President Scott James Morris sold 63,135 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 6th. The stock was sold at an average price of $55.21, for a total value of $3,485,683.35. Following the completion of the transaction, the president owned 160,476 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,859,879.96. This represents a 28.23% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through this hyperlink.

Freshpet Price Performance

Shares of FRPT traded up $0.11 during midday trading on Monday, hitting $55.35. 1,386,202 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 1,415,386. Freshpet, Inc. has a one year low of $46.76 and a one year high of $164.07. The firm has a market cap of $2.70 billion, a P/E ratio of 24.17, a PEG ratio of 0.91 and a beta of 1.76. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36, a current ratio of 5.52 and a quick ratio of 4.61. The stock has a 50-day moving average of $53.05 and a 200-day moving average of $65.61.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last posted its earnings results on Monday, November 3rd. The company reported $1.86 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $1.43. Freshpet had a net margin of 11.44% and a return on equity of 5.73%. The business had revenue of $288.85 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $283.73 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.24 EPS. Freshpet’s revenue was up 14.0% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts predict that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

Hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of the company. Banque Transatlantique SA purchased a new position in shares of Freshpet during the first quarter worth approximately $25,000. WPG Advisers LLC bought a new position in shares of Freshpet during the 1st quarter valued at $34,000. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC raised its position in Freshpet by 1,388.2% in the 2nd quarter. EverSource Wealth Advisors LLC now owns 506 shares of the company’s stock worth $34,000 after purchasing an additional 472 shares during the period. State of Wyoming purchased a new position in Freshpet in the 2nd quarter worth $34,000. Finally, BNP PARIBAS ASSET MANAGEMENT Holding S.A. bought a new stake in Freshpet in the second quarter worth $35,000.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

FRPT has been the subject of several research analyst reports. Benchmark reissued a “buy” rating and set a $95.00 price objective (down previously from $120.00) on shares of Freshpet in a research note on Tuesday, August 5th. Zacks Research cut Freshpet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “strong sell” rating in a report on Monday, October 20th. DA Davidson dropped their price target on Freshpet from $101.00 to $83.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 4th. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $90.00 to $65.00 and set a “buy” rating on the stock in a research report on Friday, October 24th. Finally, Wall Street Zen raised shares of Freshpet from a “sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Six investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and two have given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $84.43.

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.