Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. Acquires Shares of 41,470 Freshpet, Inc. $FRPT

Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. acquired a new stake in Freshpet, Inc. (NASDAQ:FRPT) during the fourth quarter, according to its most recent disclosure with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 41,470 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,526,000. Eurizon Capital SGR S.p.A. owned about 0.08% of Freshpet as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also recently bought and sold shares of FRPT. Wasatch Advisors LP boosted its stake in Freshpet by 41.0% in the second quarter. Wasatch Advisors LP now owns 3,839,332 shares of the company’s stock valued at $260,921,000 after acquiring an additional 1,116,217 shares during the last quarter. Capital World Investors boosted its stake in Freshpet by 151.8% in the third quarter. Capital World Investors now owns 1,482,778 shares of the company’s stock valued at $81,716,000 after acquiring an additional 893,949 shares during the last quarter. Alberta Investment Management Corp bought a new position in Freshpet in the third quarter valued at approximately $41,862,000. Armistice Capital LLC boosted its stake in Freshpet by 118.4% in the third quarter. Armistice Capital LLC now owns 1,234,802 shares of the company’s stock valued at $68,050,000 after acquiring an additional 669,399 shares during the last quarter. Finally, AQR Capital Management LLC boosted its stake in Freshpet by 278.5% in the second quarter. AQR Capital Management LLC now owns 859,981 shares of the company’s stock valued at $58,444,000 after acquiring an additional 632,756 shares during the last quarter.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Director Craig D. Steeneck acquired 2,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Wednesday, May 20th. The shares were acquired at an average cost of $47.83 per share, for a total transaction of $95,660.00. Following the completion of the acquisition, the director directly owned 37,500 shares in the company, valued at approximately $1,793,625. The trade was a 5.63% increase in their position. The purchase was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this hyperlink. Also, CEO William B. Cyr sold 42,495 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction on Friday, May 22nd. The stock was sold at an average price of $51.03, for a total transaction of $2,168,519.85. Following the sale, the chief executive officer owned 224,459 shares in the company, valued at approximately $11,454,142.77. The trade was a 15.92% decrease in their ownership of the stock. The disclosure for this sale is available in the SEC filing. Over the last 90 days, insiders have purchased 4,211 shares of company stock worth $215,027 and have sold 235,262 shares worth $11,664,591. Company insiders own 4.30% of the company’s stock.

Freshpet Trading Up 0.9%

FRPT opened at $49.86 on Wednesday. Freshpet, Inc. has a twelve month low of $46.45 and a twelve month high of $86.00. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.34, a quick ratio of 5.26 and a current ratio of 6.18. The firm’s fifty day moving average is $58.85 and its two-hundred day moving average is $64.04. The firm has a market cap of $2.45 billion, a PE ratio of 13.33 and a beta of 1.63.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of equities analysts have issued reports on the stock. Weiss Ratings cut shares of Freshpet from a “hold (c)” rating to a “hold (c-)” rating in a research note on Monday. TD Cowen upgraded shares of Freshpet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating and set a $80.00 target price on the stock in a report on Wednesday, April 8th. Piper Sandler increased their target price on shares of Freshpet from $80.00 to $87.00 and gave the stock an “overweight” rating in a report on Wednesday, February 4th. Bank of America cut their target price on shares of Freshpet from $80.00 to $75.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Friday, April 10th. Finally, Stifel Nicolaus set a $66.00 target price on shares of Freshpet in a report on Thursday, May 7th. Eleven investment analysts have rated the stock with a Buy rating, six have assigned a Hold rating and one has given a Sell rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat.com, the company currently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average target price of $74.88.

Freshpet 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.