State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D Has $2.21 Million Position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D raised its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Free Report) by 16.8% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The firm owned 66,767 shares of the company's stock after acquiring an additional 9,603 shares during the quarter. State of New Jersey Common Pension Fund D owned approximately 0.10% of Central Garden & Pet worth $2,207,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other institutional investors and hedge funds also recently made changes to their positions in the company. CWM LLC grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 72.6% during the 3rd quarter. CWM LLC now owns 1,957 shares of the company's stock worth $61,000 after acquiring an additional 823 shares during the last quarter. KBC Group NV boosted its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 43.8% in the third quarter. KBC Group NV now owns 2,402 shares of the company's stock worth $75,000 after purchasing an additional 732 shares in the last quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP grew its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 253.7% during the third quarter. Quantbot Technologies LP now owns 3,891 shares of the company's stock worth $122,000 after purchasing an additional 2,791 shares during the last quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 32.0% in the third quarter. Point72 DIFC Ltd now owns 6,154 shares of the company's stock valued at $193,000 after buying an additional 1,492 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Point72 Hong Kong Ltd bought a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the third quarter valued at about $194,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company's stock.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the firm's stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $328,600.00. Following the sale, the insider now owns 67,111 shares of the company's stock, valued at $2,205,267.46. This trade represents a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through this hyperlink. 20.28% of the stock is owned by insiders.

Central Garden & Pet Trading Down 3.6 %

Shares of NASDAQ CENTA traded down $1.16 during mid-day trading on Tuesday, hitting $31.32. The company's stock had a trading volume of 693,790 shares, compared to its average volume of 270,702. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $27.70 and a one year high of $41.03. The company's fifty day simple moving average is $32.12 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.18. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a current ratio of 3.47 and a quick ratio of 1.97. The stock has a market cap of $2.05 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 17.21 and a beta of 0.76.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA - Get Free Report) last released its quarterly earnings data 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%. On average, sell-side analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Analysts Set New Price Targets

Several research analysts recently issued reports on CENTA shares. JPMorgan Chase & Co. reduced their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a "neutral" rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, January 16th. StockNews.com raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "hold" rating to a "buy" rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Finally, Argus lowered shares of Central Garden & Pet from a "buy" rating to a "hold" rating in a report on Tuesday, January 7th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have given a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the company. According to MarketBeat.com, the company presently has an average rating of "Moderate Buy" and an average price target 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.