Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership Lowers Position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership decreased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 66.8% in the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel reports. The firm owned 50,271 shares of the company’s stock after selling 101,077 shares during the period. Arrowstreet Capital Limited Partnership’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $1,661,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Several other institutional investors also recently modified their holdings of the stock. Sei Investments Co. grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 0.8% during the fourth quarter. Sei Investments Co. now owns 49,074 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,622,000 after acquiring an additional 410 shares during the last quarter. Keybank National Association OH boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 2.7% during the 4th quarter. Keybank National Association OH now owns 17,640 shares of the company’s stock valued at $583,000 after acquiring an additional 468 shares during the period. Rhumbline Advisers grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 0.4% during the 4th quarter. Rhumbline Advisers now owns 160,457 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,303,000 after acquiring an additional 678 shares during the last quarter. Swiss National Bank grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 0.7% during the 4th quarter. Swiss National Bank now owns 107,637 shares of the company’s stock worth $3,557,000 after acquiring an additional 700 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Smartleaf Asset Management LLC increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 668.6% in the 4th quarter. Smartleaf Asset Management LLC now owns 930 shares of the company’s stock worth $31,000 after purchasing an additional 809 shares during the period. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the stock. StockNews.com raised shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, February 6th. Argus cut shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research report on Tuesday, January 7th. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $32.00 to $31.00 and set a “neutral” rating for the company in a research note on Thursday, January 16th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, three have assigned a buy rating and one has issued a strong buy rating to the stock. Based on data from MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $41.00.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

CENTA stock opened at $31.35 on Friday. The stock has a market capitalization of $2.05 billion, a PE ratio of 17.23 and a beta of 0.75. The stock’s 50 day simple moving average is $32.02 and its 200 day simple moving average is $31.81. Central Garden & Pet has a 12-month low of $27.70 and a 12-month 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.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share 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, research analysts forecast that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In related news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred 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 completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $2,205,267.46. This represents a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. 20.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

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.