Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Shares Gap Up – Still a Buy?

Posted by George Bondi on May 21st, 2026

Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT – Get Free Report) gapped up before the market opened on Thursday . The stock had previously closed at $48.35, but opened at $51.00. Freshpet shares last traded at $49.5780, with a volume of 152,412 shares changing hands.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

A number of research analysts recently issued reports on FRPT shares. Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Freshpet from a “market perform” rating to an “outperform” rating and set a $80.00 target price for the company in a research report on Friday, March 20th. Stifel Nicolaus set a $66.00 target price on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Morgan Stanley restated an “overweight” rating and set a $77.00 target price on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Jefferies Financial Group decreased their target price on shares of Freshpet from $75.00 to $70.00 and set a “hold” rating for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 22nd. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. upgraded shares of Freshpet from a “neutral” rating to an “overweight” rating and boosted their target price for the company from $66.00 to $68.00 in a research report on Thursday, May 7th. Eleven analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have issued a Hold rating and one has assigned a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $74.88.

Get Our Latest Stock Analysis on FRPT

Freshpet Stock Performance

The company has a current ratio of 6.18, a quick ratio of 5.26 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34. The firm’s 50-day moving average is $62.37 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.25. The stock has a market cap of $2.44 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 13.23 and a beta of 1.73.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT – Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.21. Freshpet had a net margin of 17.63% and a return on equity of 6.22%. The firm had revenue of $285.23 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $285.66 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm earned $0.36 EPS. The company’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. As a group, sell-side analysts expect that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.71 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In related news, Director Walter N. George purchased 2,000 shares of Freshpet stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, May 8th. The stock was purchased at an average price of $54.67 per share, for a total transaction of $109,340.00. Following the transaction, the director directly owned 50,746 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,774,283.82. This trade represents a 4.10% increase in their ownership of the stock. The acquisition was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, CEO William B. Cyr sold 42,693 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 15th. The stock was sold at an average price of $49.32, for a total transaction of $2,105,618.76. Following the transaction, the chief executive officer owned 165,446 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $8,159,796.72. This trade represents a 20.51% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. In the last 90 days, insiders have sold 140,866 shares of company stock valued at $6,996,765. Insiders own 4.43% of the company’s stock.

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

Several large investors have recently bought and sold shares of FRPT. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd grew its stake in Freshpet by 606.8% during the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after acquiring an additional 358 shares in the last quarter. Motiv8 Investments LLC purchased a new stake in Freshpet during the 4th quarter valued at about $28,000. Signaturefd LLC grew its stake in Freshpet by 143.0% during the 4th quarter. Signaturefd LLC now owns 503 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 296 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC grew its stake in Freshpet by 55.0% during the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 555 shares of the company’s stock valued at $31,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares in the last quarter. Finally, MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB grew its stake in Freshpet by 445.4% during the 4th quarter. MassMutual Private Wealth & Trust FSB now owns 529 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after acquiring an additional 432 shares in the last quarter.

About Freshpet

(Get Free Report)

Freshpet Inc (NASDAQ: FRPT) is a leading pet food company specializing in fresh, refrigerated meals and treats for dogs and cats. The company’s products are formulated with carefully selected, natural ingredients and are designed to offer a higher level of nutrition and freshness than traditional dry or canned pet foods. Freshpet’s offerings include refrigerated rolls, pâtés and snacks, all of which are sold through the refrigerated section of grocery, mass-market and pet specialty stores.

Freshpet’s product portfolio is built around the concept of fresh, minimally processed recipes that do not require preservatives or artificial colors.