Raymond James Financial Inc. Purchases Shares of 14,315 Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Raymond James Financial Inc. acquired a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) during the 4th quarter, according to its most recent Form 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 14,315 shares of the company's stock, valued at approximately $473,000.

Other large investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 668.6% during the fourth quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 930 shares of the company's stock valued at $31,000 after buying an additional 809 shares during the last quarter. Venturi Wealth Management LLC bought a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter worth approximately $102,000. KBC Group NV lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 50.1% during the fourth quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 3,606 shares of the company's stock valued at $119,000 after acquiring an additional 1,204 shares during the last quarter. Summit Financial Strategies Inc. acquired a new stake in Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter valued at approximately $237,000. Finally, Handelsbanken Fonder AB purchased a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter worth $264,000. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In related 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 shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $328,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now directly 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 sale was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Company insiders own 20.28% of the company's stock.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Up 1.2 %

NASDAQ:CENTA traded up $0.37 during trading hours on Friday, hitting $31.72. The company had a trading volume of 272,572 shares, compared to its average volume of 305,019. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $27.70 and a 1 year high of $41.03. The company has a current ratio of 3.47, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78. The company has a 50-day moving average of $32.03 and a 200 day moving average of $31.81. The company has a market cap of $2.08 billion, a P/E ratio of 17.43 and a beta of 0.75.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 EPS 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%. Sell-side analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current year.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Several brokerages have recently commented on CENTA. Argus lowered Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. StockNews.com upgraded Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $34.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research note on Friday. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has assigned a strong buy rating to the company's stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock currently has a consensus rating of "Moderate Buy" and a consensus price target of $41.00.

About Central Garden & Pet

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.