JPMorgan Chase & Co. Forecasts Strong Price Appreciation for Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Stock
by Tristan Rich · The Markets DailyFreshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT – Get Free Report) had its price objective lifted by equities research analysts at JPMorgan Chase & Co. from $70.00 to $80.00 in a note issued to investors on Tuesday,Benzinga reports. The firm presently has a “neutral” rating on the stock. JPMorgan Chase & Co.‘s price target indicates a potential upside of 0.25% from the company’s previous close.
FRPT has been the subject of several other research reports. Benchmark boosted their price target on shares of Freshpet from $80.00 to $90.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday. Weiss Ratings raised shares of Freshpet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a report on Monday, December 29th. Zacks Research raised shares of Freshpet from a “strong sell” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Tuesday, November 18th. Deutsche Bank Aktiengesellschaft cut shares of Freshpet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating and set a $62.00 price target on the stock. in a research note on Monday, December 15th. Finally, Wells Fargo & Company upped their target price on shares of Freshpet from $70.00 to $82.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a research report on Monday, January 26th. Eight investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, nine have issued a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to MarketBeat, the stock presently has an average rating of “Hold” and an average price target of $74.73.
Check Out Our Latest Analysis on Freshpet
Freshpet Stock Up 1.5%
Shares of NASDAQ FRPT traded up $1.22 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, reaching $79.80. 1,248,585 shares of the company were exchanged, compared to its average volume of 1,238,759. The company has a quick ratio of 4.61, a current ratio of 5.52 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.36. The stock has a market cap of $3.89 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 34.87, a P/E/G ratio of 1.78 and a beta of 1.72. The firm has a 50-day moving average of $66.85 and a 200 day moving average of $59.62. Freshpet has a 1 year low of $46.76 and a 1 year high of $111.62.
Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT – Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.64 EPS for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.21. Freshpet had a net margin of 11.44% and a return on equity of 5.73%. The company had revenue of $285.23 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $285.66 million. During the same period last year, the business earned $0.36 EPS. Freshpet’s revenue for the quarter was up 8.6% on a year-over-year basis. On average, research analysts expect that Freshpet will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current year.
Insider Transactions at Freshpet
In other Freshpet news, President Scott James Morris sold 5,142 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, December 5th. The stock was sold at an average price of $62.33, for a total transaction of $320,500.86. Following the completion of the sale, the president directly owned 30,858 shares in the company, valued at $1,923,379.14. This represents a 14.28% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 4.43% of the company’s stock.
Institutional Investors Weigh In On Freshpet
Several institutional investors and hedge funds have recently bought and sold shares of FRPT. Vanguard Group Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Freshpet by 2.5% in the fourth quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,281,833 shares of the company’s stock valued at $321,822,000 after acquiring an additional 128,499 shares in the last quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its stake in Freshpet by 4.3% during the fourth quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,937,309 shares of the company’s stock valued at $239,900,000 after buying an additional 162,293 shares in the last quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC boosted its stake in Freshpet by 41.5% during the second quarter. Champlain Investment Partners LLC now owns 2,568,954 shares of the company’s stock valued at $174,586,000 after buying an additional 753,070 shares in the last quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC grew its holdings in Freshpet by 30.9% during the fourth quarter. William Blair Investment Management LLC now owns 1,952,767 shares of the company’s stock worth $118,982,000 after acquiring an additional 461,444 shares during the period. Finally, Capital World Investors lifted its holdings in Freshpet by 7.1% in the 4th quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 1,587,691 shares of the company’s stock valued at $96,738,000 after acquiring an additional 104,913 shares during the last quarter.
More Freshpet News
Here are the key news stories impacting Freshpet this week:
- Positive Sentiment: Q4 EPS and operational beat — Freshpet beat consensus on EPS ($0.64 vs. ~$0.43), volumes rose ~9.7% and adjusted EBITDA climbed meaningfully; the upbeat earnings/EBITDA commentary helped lift the stock. Zacks: Freshpet Stock Up After Q4 Beat
- Positive Sentiment: Strong FY2025 results and guidance for profitability — Freshpet surpassed $1.1B in full‑year net sales, generated positive free cash flow, improved margins and issued FY26 targets (net sales growth 7–10%, adjusted EBITDA $205–$215M) that support a better profit trajectory. GlobeNewswire: Freshpet FY2025 Results & Guidance
- Positive Sentiment: Analyst support — Some brokers refreshed models after the print: DA Davidson reaffirmed a Buy and $80 target, reflecting continued bull-case support from certain analysts. Benzinga: DA Davidson Reaffirms Buy
- Neutral Sentiment: Mixed analyst moves — TD Cowen raised its target from $61 to $80 but kept a Hold rating, and Bank of America reiterated a Hold citing elevated near‑term spending; analysts are raising forecasts on margins while remaining cautious on near-term growth. TickerReport / Benzinga: TD Cowen Price Target Raise TipRanks: BofA Neutral Stance
- Negative Sentiment: Softer near‑term top‑line and narrow revenue miss — Q4 revenue was essentially in line but slightly under the consensus and FY26 net‑sales growth guidance (7–10%) is slower than recent cadence, which prompted some caution and short-term selling pressure in other coverage. Investing.com: Revenue Narrowly Misses MSN: Softer FY26 Sales Outlook
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.
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