Principal Financial Group Inc. raised its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 3.4% in the 4th quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 268,331 shares of the company's stock after buying an additional 8,889 shares during the quarter. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned about 0.41% of Central Garden & Pet worth $8,868,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission.
Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also added to or reduced their stakes in CENTA. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 39.2% during the third quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 12,650 shares of the company's stock worth $397,000 after buying an additional 3,560 shares in the last quarter. James Investment Research Inc. grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 23.2% during the third quarter. James Investment Research Inc. now owns 30,302 shares of the company's stock worth $951,000 after buying an additional 5,712 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new position in Central Garden & Pet during the third quarter worth about $413,000. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 12.2% during the third quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D now owns 57,164 shares of the company's stock worth $1,795,000 after buying an additional 6,233 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Entropy Technologies LP purchased a new position in Central Garden & Pet during the third quarter worth about $215,000. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.
Analyst Ratings Changes
A number of research firms have recently issued reports on CENTA. Argus cut Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. JPMorgan Chase & Co. cut 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. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a report on Thursday, February 6th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus target price of $41.00.
View Our Latest Research Report on CENTA
Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 1.7 %
Shares of NASDAQ CENTA traded down $0.53 during midday trading on Monday, reaching $30.95. The company had a trading volume of 382,856 shares, compared to its average volume of 286,984. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $27.70 and a one year high of $41.03. The company has a quick ratio of 1.97, a current ratio of 3.47 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The firm's fifty day moving average price is $31.93 and its 200-day moving average price is $32.14. The stock has a market cap of $2.03 billion, a PE ratio of 17.01 and a beta of 0.76.
Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share for the quarter, beating analysts' consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.08% and a net margin of 3.77%. On average, equities research analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.
Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet
In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the company's stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $328,600.00. Following the completion of the transaction, the insider now owns 67,111 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,205,267.46. This represents a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.
About Central Garden & Pet
(
Free Report)
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.
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