Central Garden & Pet Company $CENTA Stock Position Decreased by MetLife Investment Management LLC

MetLife Investment Management LLC cut its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 3.8% in the first quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The institutional investor owned 30,684 shares of the company’s stock after selling 1,228 shares during the period. MetLife Investment Management LLC’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $1,004,000 as of its most recent SEC filing.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC raised its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 4.6% during the 1st quarter. Wealth Enhancement Advisory Services LLC now owns 13,652 shares of the company’s stock worth $447,000 after purchasing an additional 604 shares in the last quarter. CWA Asset Management Group LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 1st quarter worth about $573,000. Envestnet Portfolio Solutions Inc. purchased a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 1st quarter worth about $224,000. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. raised its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.7% during the 1st quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 879,769 shares of the company’s stock worth $28,795,000 after purchasing an additional 47,257 shares in the last quarter. Finally, NorthRock Partners LLC purchased a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the 4th quarter worth about $1,922,000. 50.82% of the stock is owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

A number of research firms have recently weighed in on CENTA. Wall Street Zen raised Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Saturday, August 9th. Canaccord Genuity Group raised their price target on Central Garden & Pet from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the stock a “buy” rating in a research note on Thursday, August 7th. One investment analyst has rated the stock with a Buy rating and three have issued a Hold rating to the company. According to data from MarketBeat.com, the stock presently has a consensus rating of “Hold” and a consensus price target of $38.67.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

Shares of NASDAQ CENTA opened at $34.15 on Friday. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a quick ratio of 2.28 and a current ratio of 3.56. The firm has a market cap of $2.15 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 15.52 and a beta of 0.66. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $33.81 and its 200-day simple moving average is $32.24. Central Garden & Pet Company has a 52 week low of $27.70 and a 52 week high of $37.35.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 6th. The company reported $1.56 EPS for the quarter, beating analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.34 by $0.22. The business had revenue of $960.91 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $993.66 million. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.77% and a net margin of 4.44%. As a group, equities research analysts expect that Central Garden & Pet Company will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Transactions at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 3,500 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 25th. The stock was sold at an average price of $32.59, for a total value of $114,065.00. Following the sale, the insider owned 67,328 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,194,219.52. This trade represents a 4.94% decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available through this link. Also, Director John Ranelli sold 3,076 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 25th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.58, for a total value of $100,216.08. Following the completion of the sale, the director directly owned 1,427 shares in the company, valued at $46,491.66. This trade represents a 68.31% decrease in their position. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Corporate insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

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.