Farringdon Capital Ltd. Purchases Shares of 12,576 Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Farringdon Capital Ltd. bought a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor bought 12,576 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $416,000.

Other large investors have also bought and sold shares of the company. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio boosted its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 18.3% during the third quarter. Public Employees Retirement System of Ohio now owns 50,425 shares of the company's stock valued at $1,583,000 after purchasing an additional 7,810 shares in the last quarter. Barclays PLC boosted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 161.7% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 122,530 shares of the company's stock worth $3,849,000 after buying an additional 75,718 shares during the period. Nordea Investment Management AB boosted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 4.5% during the 4th quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 154,071 shares of the company's stock worth $5,113,000 after buying an additional 6,600 shares during the period. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 36.0% in the 4th quarter. Harbor Capital Advisors Inc. now owns 19,907 shares of the company's stock valued at $658,000 after acquiring an additional 5,269 shares during the period. Finally, Olstein Capital Management L.P. increased its position in Central Garden & Pet by 1.3% in the 4th quarter. Olstein Capital Management L.P. now owns 77,000 shares of the company's stock valued at $2,545,000 after acquiring an additional 1,000 shares during the period. 50.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the business's stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total value of $328,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 67,111 shares in the company, valued at $2,205,267.46. The trade was a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. 20.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Up 0.2 %

CENTA stock traded up $0.05 during mid-day trading on Wednesday, reaching $31.01. 56,082 shares of the company traded hands, compared to its average volume of 308,621. The firm's 50 day moving average price is $31.76 and its 200 day moving average price is $31.84. The stock has a market cap of $2.03 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.04 and a beta of 0.75. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 3.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. Central Garden & Pet has a fifty-two week low of $27.70 and a fifty-two week high of $41.03.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last announced its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 3.77% and a return on equity of 10.08%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CENTA has been the subject of several analyst reports. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating for the company in a research report on Friday, April 11th. StockNews.com raised Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Argus downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two investment analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have issued a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company's stock. According to MarketBeat, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average target price of $41.00.

Central Garden & Pet Company Profile

Central Garden & Pet Co engages in the production and distribution of branded and private label products for the lawn, garden, and pet supplies markets. It operates through the Pet and Garden segments. The Pet segment focuses on 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, food and supplements, products for equine and livestock, animal and household health and insect control products, live fish, and small animals, as well as outdoor cushions.