Sei Investments Co. Grows Stock Holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT)

Sei Investments Co. grew its holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) by 1.7% during the fourth quarter, HoldingsChannel.com reports. The fund owned 37,809 shares of the company’s stock after purchasing an additional 632 shares during the quarter. Sei Investments Co.’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $1,467,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

Several other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also made changes to their positions in CENT. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 693.6% in the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,246 shares of the company’s stock valued at $48,000 after purchasing an additional 1,089 shares in the last quarter. Amundi boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 193.8% in the fourth quarter. Amundi now owns 4,201 shares of the company’s stock worth $151,000 after buying an additional 2,771 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 29.0% in the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,521 shares of the company’s stock valued at $157,000 after buying an additional 1,016 shares in the last quarter. XTX Topco Ltd purchased a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 3rd quarter valued at about $258,000. Finally, BNP Paribas Financial Markets lifted its position in Central Garden & Pet by 5.4% during the 3rd quarter. BNP Paribas Financial Markets now owns 9,060 shares of the company’s stock worth $330,000 after acquiring an additional 464 shares in the last quarter. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 16.13% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Down 1.3 %

Shares of Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $35.23 on Monday. Central Garden & Pet has a 1-year low of $32.17 and a 1-year high of $47.48. The company has a market capitalization of $2.31 billion, a PE ratio of 19.36 and a beta of 0.80. 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 business has a 50-day moving average of $36.65 and a 200-day moving average of $36.98.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last issued its quarterly earnings data 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%. As a group, equities analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction dated Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total transaction of $328,600.00. Following the transaction, the insider now owns 67,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. This trade represents a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is accessible through this hyperlink. Corporate insiders own 8.19% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

Separately, Argus downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. One research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the company. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Buy” and a consensus price target of $45.00.

Central Garden & Pet 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.