William Blair Investment Management LLC Reduces Stock Holdings in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT)

William Blair Investment Management LLC trimmed its holdings in shares of Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) by 39.5% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The fund owned 886,618 shares of the company’s stock after selling 579,910 shares during the quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC owned 1.83% of Freshpet worth $131,317,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

Several other large investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in FRPT. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. grew its stake in Freshpet by 302.0% during the 4th quarter. Geneos Wealth Management Inc. now owns 201 shares of the company’s stock valued at $30,000 after purchasing an additional 151 shares during the last quarter. Wilmington Savings Fund Society FSB purchased a new stake in Freshpet during the 3rd quarter valued at about $32,000. Jones Financial Companies Lllp grew its stake in Freshpet by 130.9% during the 4th quarter. Jones Financial Companies Lllp now owns 217 shares of the company’s stock valued at $32,000 after purchasing an additional 123 shares during the last quarter. R Squared Ltd purchased a new stake in Freshpet during the 4th quarter valued at about $39,000. Finally, IFP Advisors Inc purchased a new stake in Freshpet during the 4th quarter valued at about $43,000.

Freshpet Price Performance

Shares of Freshpet stock opened at $87.84 on Monday. The business has a 50 day simple moving average of $130.72 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $139.29. Freshpet, Inc. has a 12 month low of $80.27 and a 12 month high of $164.07. The stock has a market capitalization of $4.28 billion, a P/E ratio of 93.45 and a beta of 1.58. 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 announced its earnings results on Thursday, February 20th. The company reported $0.36 EPS for the quarter, meeting analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.36. Freshpet had a return on equity of 3.92% and a net margin of 4.81%. The business had revenue of $262.71 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $275.46 million. As a group, analysts predict that Freshpet, Inc. will post 1.55 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several equities analysts have recently issued reports on FRPT shares. Stifel Nicolaus decreased their price objective on Freshpet from $155.00 to $135.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a report on Monday, March 10th. Jefferies Financial Group raised Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and decreased their price objective for the company from $155.00 to $150.00 in a report on Monday, February 24th. Citigroup decreased their price objective on Freshpet from $155.00 to $142.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a report on Wednesday, February 12th. Oppenheimer cut Freshpet from an “outperform” rating to a “market perform” rating in a report on Tuesday, March 11th. Finally, Truist Financial reissued a “buy” rating and issued a $140.00 price objective (down previously from $170.00) on shares of Freshpet in a report on Tuesday, February 25th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a sell rating, two have issued a hold rating and thirteen have issued a buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Freshpet presently has an average rating of “Moderate Buy” and a consensus price target of $151.67.

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.