Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Shares Purchased by Empowered Funds LLC

Empowered Funds LLC boosted its position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 5.1% during the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 255,113 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 12,413 shares during the quarter. Empowered Funds LLC owned 0.39% of Central Garden & Pet worth $8,431,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other institutional investors also recently added to or reduced their stakes in CENTA. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. acquired a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter worth about $237,000. KBC Group NV boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 50.1% in the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,606 shares of the company's stock valued at $119,000 after purchasing an additional 1,204 shares in the last quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 1.3% in the fourth quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. now owns 77,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,545,000 after purchasing an additional 1,000 shares during the last quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 36.0% during the fourth quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 19,907 shares of the company's stock worth $658,000 after purchasing an additional 5,269 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Nordea Investment Management AB raised its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 4.5% during the fourth quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 154,071 shares of the company's stock worth $5,113,000 after purchasing an additional 6,600 shares in the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 50.82% of the company's stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

CENTA has been the topic of a number of research analyst reports. Argus cut Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com raised Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research report on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. decreased their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a report on Thursday, January 16th. Two analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat, Central Garden & Pet has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target of $41.00.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CENTA traded up $0.61 during midday trading on Thursday, hitting $33.51. The company had a trading volume of 204,331 shares, compared to its average volume of 260,101. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.20 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 18.41 and a beta of 0.76. Central Garden & Pet has a twelve month low of $27.70 and a twelve month high of $41.03. The business has a 50-day simple moving average of $32.51 and a two-hundred day simple moving average of $32.27. The company has a quick ratio of 2.19, a current ratio of 3.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%. Equities research analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.2 earnings per share for the current year.

Insider Activity

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total value of $328,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. This represents a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this link. Company insiders own 20.28% of the company's stock.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

Central Garden & Pet Company produces and distributes various products for the lawn and garden, and pet supplies markets in the United States. It operates through two segments: Pet and Garden. The Pet segment provides dog and cat supplies, such as dog treats and chews, toys, pet beds and containment, grooming products, waste management, and training pads; supplies for aquatics, small animals, reptiles, and pet birds, including toys, cages and habitats, bedding, and food and supplements; products for equine and livestock; animal and household health and insect control products; aquariums and terrariums, including fixtures and stands, water conditioners and supplements, water pumps and filters, and lighting systems and accessories; and live fish and small animals, as well as outdoor cushions.