Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Stock Price Down 3.4% – Should You Sell?

Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) shares dropped 3.4% during trading on Tuesday . The company traded as low as $75.87 and last traded at $72.7730. Approximately 218,025 shares traded hands during trading, a decline of 83% from the average daily volume of 1,289,527 shares. The stock had previously closed at $75.37.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

A number of equities analysts have weighed in on the stock. Benchmark lifted their price target on shares of Freshpet from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Bank of America upped their target price on Freshpet from $60.00 to $67.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Friday, December 19th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. raised their price target on Freshpet from $70.00 to $80.00 and gave the stock a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Wells Fargo & Company increased their target price on Freshpet from $82.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Wednesday, February 25th. Finally, Zacks Research raised shares of Freshpet from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 18th. Eight analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has issued a Sell rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the company presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and an average target price of $76.47.

Freshpet Stock Down 8.6%

The company has a current ratio of 5.54, a quick ratio of 4.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company has a market cap of $3.38 billion, a P/E ratio of 26.83, a price-to-earnings-growth ratio of 2.34 and a beta of 1.66. The firm’s 50 day moving average price is $72.47 and its 200-day moving average price is $61.80.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.43 by $0.21. The firm had revenue of $285.23 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $285.66 million. Freshpet had a return on equity of 6.93% and a net margin of 12.63%.The company’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted $0.36 earnings per share. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current year.

Institutional Inflows and Outflows

Several hedge funds and other institutional investors have recently made changes to their positions in the business. Corient Private Wealth LLC bought a new position in Freshpet during the 4th quarter worth $227,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd increased its holdings in Freshpet by 606.8% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after buying an additional 358 shares during the period. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV raised its position in shares of Freshpet by 68.5% in the 4th quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 9,110 shares of the company’s stock valued at $555,000 after buying an additional 3,705 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $361,000. Finally, Susquehanna Portfolio Strategies LLC bought a new position in Freshpet in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $9,899,000.

About Freshpet

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.