Vanguard Group Inc. Has $403.67 Million Stock Holdings in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

Vanguard Group Inc. lifted its holdings in shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) by 0.7% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 4,652,698 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 32,178 shares during the period. Vanguard Group Inc. owned about 9.63% of Freshpet worth $403,668,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other large investors also recently modified their holdings of FRPT. Johnson Financial Group Inc. bought a new position in Freshpet in the 4th quarter valued at about $29,000. Quarry LP bought a new position in Freshpet in the 4th quarter valued at about $40,000. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Freshpet by 617.3% in the 4th quarter. Washington Trust Advisors Inc. now owns 581 shares of the company’s stock valued at $50,000 after acquiring an additional 500 shares during the period. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd raised its holdings in Freshpet by 96.6% in the 4th quarter. Harvest Fund Management Co. Ltd now owns 1,750 shares of the company’s stock valued at $153,000 after acquiring an additional 860 shares during the period. Finally, Wealth Alliance bought a new position in Freshpet in the 4th quarter valued at about $217,000.

Freshpet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ FRPT opened at $129.25 on Friday. Freshpet, Inc. has a fifty-two week low of $54.60 and a fifty-two week high of $132.84. The stock has a market cap of $6.26 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 718.10 and a beta of 1.33. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.43, a quick ratio of 4.09 and a current ratio of 4.97. The firm’s 50-day simple moving average is $122.75 and its 200 day simple moving average is $105.79.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last announced its quarterly earnings results on Monday, May 6th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.22) by $0.43. Freshpet had a net margin of 1.19% and a return on equity of 0.20%. The business had revenue of $223.85 million for the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $216.43 million. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Freshpet, Inc. will post 0.54 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several brokerages have recently commented on FRPT. StockNews.com raised shares of Freshpet to a “sell” rating in a report on Saturday, May 4th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft began coverage on shares of Freshpet in a report on Thursday, May 23rd. They set a “buy” rating and a $150.00 target price on the stock. Truist Financial raised shares of Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and raised their target price for the stock from $120.00 to $135.00 in a report on Monday, March 11th. Benchmark increased their price target on shares of Freshpet from $125.00 to $150.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, June 11th. Finally, TD Cowen increased their price target on shares of Freshpet from $128.00 to $143.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research report on Tuesday, May 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the company has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $129.00.

Insider Buying and Selling at Freshpet

In other Freshpet news, EVP Stephen Macchiaverna sold 6,548 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Friday, May 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $120.15, for a total value of $786,742.20. Following the completion of the sale, the executive vice president now owns 86,039 shares in the company, valued at approximately $10,337,585.85. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at this link. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 13,560 shares of company stock worth $1,701,580. Insiders own 3.60% of the company’s stock.

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.