Virtu Financial LLC Purchases Shares of 6,389 Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Virtu Financial LLC acquired a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) in the 4th quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission. The fund acquired 6,389 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $281,000.

Several other large investors also recently made changes to their positions in CENTA. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 0.9% in the third quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 519,376 shares of the company’s stock worth $20,822,000 after buying an additional 4,447 shares during the period. Deutsche Bank AG grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 16.2% in the third quarter. Deutsche Bank AG now owns 20,225 shares of the company’s stock valued at $811,000 after acquiring an additional 2,814 shares in the last quarter. DekaBank Deutsche Girozentrale purchased a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the third quarter valued at approximately $338,000. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 46.6% during the third quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 138,473 shares of the company’s stock worth $5,666,000 after purchasing an additional 44,008 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Hsbc Holdings PLC acquired a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the third quarter worth $331,000. Institutional investors and hedge funds own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

Several research analysts recently commented on the company. Argus upgraded Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research note on Tuesday, May 28th. Monness Crespi & Hardt upped their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $39.00 to $42.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research report on Thursday, May 9th. Truist Financial increased their target price on Central Garden & Pet from $45.00 to $50.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a research note on Monday, May 13th. Finally, StockNews.com upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “hold” rating to a “buy” rating in a research note on Friday, May 31st. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a hold rating, four have issued a buy rating and one has given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Central Garden & Pet has a consensus rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $41.75.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

CENTA stock opened at $33.02 on Friday. The company has a market capitalization of $2.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.81 and a beta of 0.74. The company has a quick ratio of 1.68, a current ratio of 3.33 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.79. The company has a 50-day simple moving average of $36.46 and a 200 day simple moving average of $34.42. Central Garden & Pet has a fifty-two week low of $27.88 and a fifty-two week high of $41.03.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $0.83 by $0.16. The firm had revenue of $900.09 million during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $895.68 million. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 11.30% and a net margin of 4.49%. Sell-side analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.28 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Insider Buying and Selling

In other news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 700,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $36.25, for a total transaction of $25,375,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 1,189,615 shares in the company, valued at approximately $43,123,543.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through this hyperlink. In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 4,218 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction that occurred on Thursday, May 16th. The shares were sold at an average price of $40.31, for a total transaction of $170,027.58. Following the transaction, the insider now directly owns 85,063 shares in the company, valued at approximately $3,428,889.53. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. Also, Chairman William E. Brown sold 700,000 shares of the stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 30th. The shares were sold at an average price of $36.25, for a total value of $25,375,000.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 1,189,615 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $43,123,543.75. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders have sold 714,218 shares of company stock worth $25,945,528 in the last ninety days. 20.28% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Central Garden & Pet Profile

Central Garden & Pet Company produces and distributes various products for the lawn and garden, and pet supplies markets in the United States. It operates through two segments: Pet and Garden. The Pet segment provides 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, and food and supplements; products for equine and livestock; animal and household health and insect control products; aquariums and terrariums, including fixtures and stands, water conditioners and supplements, water pumps and filters, and lighting systems and accessories; and live fish and small animals, as well as outdoor cushions.