Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) Shares Sold by Renaissance Technologies LLC

Renaissance Technologies LLC reduced its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) by 32.3% during the 4th quarter, Holdings Channel.com reports. The firm owned 123,211 shares of the company’s stock after selling 58,876 shares during the quarter. Renaissance Technologies LLC’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $4,781,000 at the end of the most recent quarter.

A number of other hedge funds and other institutional investors have also modified their holdings of CENT. Barclays PLC grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 51.4% in the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 34,944 shares of the company’s stock worth $1,275,000 after acquiring an additional 11,865 shares during the period. Franklin Resources Inc. raised its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 29.0% during the third quarter. Franklin Resources Inc. now owns 4,521 shares of the company’s stock worth $157,000 after purchasing an additional 1,016 shares during the period. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 73.8% during the 3rd quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. now owns 35,228 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,285,000 after buying an additional 14,964 shares during the period. Versant Capital Management Inc increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 693.6% during the 4th quarter. Versant Capital Management Inc now owns 1,246 shares of the company’s stock worth $48,000 after buying an additional 1,089 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Empowered Funds LLC boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 5.0% in the fourth quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 48,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,878,000 after acquiring an additional 2,297 shares during the last quarter. 16.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Wall Street Analyst Weigh In

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

Insider Transactions at Central Garden & Pet

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, February 10th. The stock was 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 $2,205,267.46. This trade represents a 12.97 % decrease in their position. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Insiders own 8.19% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

CENT stock opened at $34.32 on Tuesday. The stock has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.04 and a 200-day simple moving average of $36.88. The firm has a market cap of $2.25 billion, a P/E ratio of 18.86 and a beta of 0.80. Central Garden & Pet has a 1 year low of $32.17 and a 1 year high of $47.48. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.78, a quick ratio of 1.97 and a current ratio of 3.47.

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%. On average, equities analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

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.