Natixis Advisors LLC Buys New Shares in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

Natixis Advisors LLC purchased a new position in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) in the third quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor purchased 10,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,433,000.

Several other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in the stock. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD increased its holdings in Freshpet by 199.3% in the 1st quarter. Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD now owns 98,924 shares of the company’s stock valued at $11,462,000 after acquiring an additional 65,868 shares during the last quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC raised its stake in shares of Freshpet by 41.1% in the second quarter. GAMMA Investing LLC now owns 371 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after acquiring an additional 108 shares during the period. CWM LLC raised its stake in shares of Freshpet by 65.9% in the second quarter. CWM LLC now owns 496 shares of the company’s stock valued at $64,000 after acquiring an additional 197 shares during the period. SG Americas Securities LLC bought a new stake in shares of Freshpet in the 2nd quarter worth about $3,964,000. Finally, M&G Plc purchased a new position in shares of Freshpet during the 2nd quarter worth about $8,892,000.

Freshpet Stock Up 0.8 %

FRPT opened at $155.92 on Wednesday. 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, Inc. has a 12 month low of $68.22 and a 12 month high of $160.91. The stock has a market capitalization of $7.57 billion, a P/E ratio of 175.19 and a beta of 1.39. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $142.92 and a 200-day simple moving average of $133.97.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last released its quarterly earnings results on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.10. Freshpet had a return on equity of 3.67% and a net margin of 4.75%. The business had revenue of $253.40 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $248.36 million. During the same quarter in the prior year, the firm posted ($0.15) EPS. The company’s revenue was up 26.3% compared to the same quarter last year. On average, equities analysts anticipate that Freshpet, Inc. will post 0.87 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Freshpet

In other Freshpet news, insider Thembeka Machaba sold 2,500 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, November 7th. The stock was sold at an average price of $153.85, for a total transaction of $384,625.00. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this link. Also, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 2,178 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, September 5th. The shares were sold at an average price of $140.01, for a total transaction of $304,941.78. Following the completion of the transaction, the executive vice president now owns 86,039 shares in the company, valued at $12,046,320.39. The trade was a 2.47 % decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. 3.70% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts have issued reports on FRPT shares. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft boosted their target price on Freshpet from $161.00 to $163.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. TD Cowen boosted their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $160.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, November 5th. Oppenheimer increased their price objective on Freshpet from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a research note on Thursday, November 14th. Robert W. Baird raised their price objective on Freshpet from $157.00 to $170.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus upped their target price on Freshpet from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Wednesday, November 6th. One analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, Freshpet presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus target price of $157.80.

Freshpet Company Profile

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.