Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) Upgraded at Oppenheimer

Oppenheimer upgraded shares of Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) from a market perform rating to an outperform rating in a research report report published on Friday morning, Marketbeat Ratings reports. They currently have $80.00 target price on the stock.

Several other research firms also recently commented on FRPT. Weiss Ratings upgraded Freshpet from a “sell (d+)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research report on Monday, December 29th. Stifel Nicolaus boosted their price target on Freshpet from $65.00 to $84.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, February 24th. Morgan Stanley raised Freshpet from an “equal weight” rating to an “overweight” rating and upped their price objective for the company from $71.00 to $90.00 in a research note on Tuesday, February 24th. Piper Sandler raised their price objective on shares of Freshpet from $80.00 to $87.00 and gave the company an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Finally, Stephens reiterated an “overweight” rating and set a $90.00 target price on shares of Freshpet in a research report on Tuesday, February 24th. Nine equities research analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, eight have given a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, the stock currently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $76.69.

Freshpet Trading Up 2.2%

FRPT opened at $64.54 on Friday. The company has a market cap of $3.17 billion, a P/E ratio of 25.11, a PEG ratio of 2.09 and a beta of 1.66. The company has a current ratio of 5.54, a quick ratio of 4.57 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.35. The company’s 50 day moving average is $72.67 and its 200-day moving average is $62.09. Freshpet has a 1-year low of $46.76 and a 1-year high of $89.80.

Freshpet (NASDAQ:FRPT) last released its quarterly earnings data on Monday, February 23rd. The company reported $0.64 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.43 by $0.21. Freshpet had a net margin of 12.63% and a return on equity of 6.93%. The business had revenue of $285.23 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $285.66 million. During the same period in the prior year, the company earned $0.36 EPS. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 8.6% compared to the same quarter last year. Equities research analysts predict that Freshpet will post 1.55 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Institutional Trading of Freshpet

Several institutional investors have recently added to or reduced their stakes in FRPT. Hsbc Holdings PLC bought a new position in Freshpet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $757,000. Corient Private Wealth LLC acquired a new position in shares of Freshpet in the 4th quarter worth approximately $227,000. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd boosted its stake in shares of Freshpet by 606.8% in the 4th quarter. Caitong International Asset Management Co. Ltd now owns 417 shares of the company’s stock valued at $25,000 after purchasing an additional 358 shares during the last quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV increased its position in shares of Freshpet by 68.5% during the fourth quarter. Mercer Global Advisors Inc. ADV now owns 9,110 shares of the company’s stock worth $555,000 after buying an additional 3,705 shares during the period. Finally, XTX Topco Ltd acquired a new stake in shares of Freshpet during the fourth quarter worth $361,000.

Freshpet News Roundup

Here are the key news stories impacting Freshpet this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Oppenheimer upgraded Freshpet from Market Perform to Outperform with an $80 price target, calling the pullback a compelling entry point and citing brand strength and acquisition appeal — this upgrade is supporting bullish investor sentiment. Oppenheimer upgrade
• Positive Sentiment: Analyst commentary repeated across outlets (TipRanks/Benzinga summaries) frames the recent pullback as a buying opportunity, reinforcing the upgrade and likely contributing to buying interest. TipRanks article
• Neutral Sentiment: Brokerage consensus remains mixed/neutral — the Street average rating is around “Hold” (roughly equal Buy and Hold counts), which tempers upside despite individual upgrades. Consensus Hold
• Neutral Sentiment: Short-interest data reported for March appears anomalous (shows 0 shares / NaN increase). Given this likely data error, there’s no clear short-squeeze signal from the reported figures. (Source: market data entry)
• Negative Sentiment: Multiple law firms have announced investigations into Freshpet (Kessler Topaz; Pomerantz), citing potential securities-law violations and investor losses — these actions increase legal and reputational risk and could pressure the stock if they lead to formal litigation or adverse findings. Kessler Topaz alert
• Negative Sentiment: Additional investor-alert filings (Pomerantz) and press reports note a Fast-Track challenge alleging Freshpet’s advertising was misleading — if regulators or courts side against Freshpet, the company could face fines, required marketing changes, or class-action exposure. Pomerantz alert

Freshpet Company Profile

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.