PNC Financial Services Group Inc. Has $427,000 Position in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

PNC Financial Services Group Inc. grew its holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 3.6% in the fourth quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the SEC. The institutional investor owned 9,693 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 341 shares during the quarter. PNC Financial Services Group Inc.’s holdings in Central Garden & Pet were worth $427,000 as of its most recent filing with the SEC.

Other hedge funds and other institutional investors also recently made changes to their positions in the company. Norges Bank bought a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet during the fourth quarter valued at $11,786,000. LSV Asset Management acquired a new position in Central Garden & Pet in the fourth quarter valued at about $5,409,000. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. grew its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 12.3% during the fourth quarter. Westwood Holdings Group Inc. now owns 800,109 shares of the company’s stock worth $35,237,000 after buying an additional 87,802 shares during the last quarter. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al increased its holdings in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1,092.6% during the third quarter. Tudor Investment Corp Et Al now owns 71,666 shares of the company’s stock worth $2,873,000 after buying an additional 65,657 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Qube Research & Technologies Ltd raised its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5,772.5% in the third quarter. Qube Research & Technologies Ltd now owns 50,445 shares of the company’s stock valued at $2,022,000 after acquiring an additional 49,586 shares during the last quarter. 50.82% of the stock is owned by institutional investors.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $33.03 on Friday. The business’s 50-day simple moving average is $36.35 and its 200 day simple moving average is $34.74. 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 stock has a market cap of $2.23 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.84 and a beta of 0.74. Central Garden & Pet has a 12-month low of $27.88 and a 12-month high of $41.03.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last issued its earnings results on Wednesday, May 8th. The company reported $0.99 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $0.83 by $0.16. The company had revenue of $900.09 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $895.68 million. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 4.49% and a return on equity of 11.30%. As a group, research analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.28 earnings per share for the current year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In related news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 700,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction dated Thursday, May 30th. The stock was 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 in the company, valued at $43,123,543.75. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Central Garden & Pet news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 700,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred 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 $43,123,543.75. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which can be accessed through the SEC website. Also, insider John D. Walker III sold 4,218 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction on Thursday, May 16th. The stock was 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 $3,428,889.53. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. In the last 90 days, insiders sold 714,218 shares of company stock valued at $25,945,528. Company insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Wall Street Analysts Forecast Growth

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

Central Garden & Pet Company 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.