Natixis Advisors LLC Takes Position in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

Natixis Advisors LLC acquired a new position in shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) in the 3rd quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the SEC. The firm acquired 10,479 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $1,433,000.

A number of other hedge funds have also modified their holdings of the stock. WCM Investment Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Freshpet by 749.7% in the 3rd quarter. WCM Investment Management LLC now owns 2,771,377 shares of the company’s stock valued at $376,187,000 after buying an additional 2,445,199 shares in the last quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC grew its position in Freshpet by 24.4% in the second quarter. Driehaus Capital Management LLC now owns 721,288 shares of the company’s stock worth $93,327,000 after acquiring an additional 141,615 shares in the last quarter. M&G Plc acquired a new position in shares of Freshpet during the 2nd quarter worth $8,892,000. Renaissance Technologies LLC bought a new position in shares of Freshpet during the 2nd quarter valued at $8,902,000. Finally, Price T Rowe Associates Inc. MD raised its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 199.3% during 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 purchasing an additional 65,868 shares in the last quarter.

Freshpet Stock Up 0.8 %

Shares of NASDAQ:FRPT opened at $155.92 on Wednesday. The company has a market cap of $7.57 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 175.19 and a beta of 1.39. Freshpet, Inc. has a one year low of $68.22 and a one year high of $160.91. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $142.92 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $133.97. 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 (NASDAQ:FRPT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Monday, November 4th. The company reported $0.24 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.14 by $0.10. Freshpet had a net margin of 4.75% and a return on equity of 3.67%. The company had revenue of $253.40 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $248.36 million. During the same period in the previous year, the firm posted ($0.15) EPS. The firm’s revenue was up 26.3% compared to the same quarter last year. Analysts anticipate that Freshpet, Inc. will post 0.87 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

A number of research analysts have recently commented on FRPT shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. increased their price objective on Freshpet from $126.00 to $154.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a report on Tuesday, November 5th. Benchmark reiterated a “buy” rating and set a $150.00 price target on shares of Freshpet in a report on Friday, November 1st. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $155.00 to $165.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Wednesday, November 6th. TD Cowen raised their target price on shares of Freshpet from $160.00 to $174.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 5th. Finally, Oppenheimer lifted their target price on shares of Freshpet from $155.00 to $180.00 and gave the stock an “outperform” rating in a report on Thursday, November 14th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, three have given a hold rating and twelve have given a buy rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, Freshpet presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $157.80.

Insider Buying and Selling

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

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.