Stifel Nicolaus Cuts Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Price Target to $78.00

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) had its price target decreased by Stifel Nicolaus from $84.00 to $78.00 in a research report released on Tuesday morning, Marketbeat.com reports. Stifel Nicolaus currently has a buy rating on the stock.

Several other equities research analysts have also weighed in on FRPT. Stephens reissued an “overweight” rating and set a $90.00 price objective on shares of Freshpet in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Wells Fargo & Company cut their target price on Freshpet from $90.00 to $78.00 and set an “overweight” rating on the stock in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. DA Davidson upped their target price on Freshpet from $98.00 to $101.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Monday, April 13th. TD Cowen upgraded Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 price target for the company in a research report on Wednesday, April 8th. Finally, Morgan Stanley raised Freshpet from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and lifted their price target for the stock from $71.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Ten analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, seven have issued a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $76.44.

Freshpet Stock Down 0.6%

NASDAQ FRPT opened at $65.56 on Tuesday. Freshpet has a 12 month low of $46.76 and a 12 month high of $89.80. The company has a market capitalization of $3.22 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.51 and a beta of 1.78. The company’s 50 day simple moving average is $70.20 and its 200 day simple moving average is $63.69. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35, a current ratio of 5.54 and a quick ratio of 4.57.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last issued its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $285.23 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $285.66 million. Freshpet had a net margin of 12.63% and a return on equity of 6.93%. The firm’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period last year, the firm posted $0.36 earnings per share. Equities research analysts expect that Freshpet will post 1.25 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently modified their holdings of FRPT. Optimize Financial Inc raised its position in Freshpet by 1.4% during the fourth quarter. Optimize Financial Inc now owns 10,957 shares of the company’s stock valued at $668,000 after buying an additional 156 shares during the period. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund lifted its stake in Freshpet by 1.5% in the 4th quarter. Oregon Public Employees Retirement Fund now owns 11,164 shares of the company’s stock worth $680,000 after acquiring an additional 161 shares in the last quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC boosted its position in Freshpet by 55.0% during the 3rd quarter. Parallel Advisors LLC now owns 555 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the period. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC boosted its position in Freshpet by 32.0% during the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 882 shares of the company’s stock worth $53,000 after acquiring an additional 214 shares during the period. Finally, Ossiam grew its stake in Freshpet by 81.1% during the 2nd quarter. Ossiam now owns 509 shares of the company’s stock valued at $35,000 after acquiring an additional 228 shares in the last quarter.

Freshpet Company Profile

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.