Texas Permanent School Fund Corp Acquires 3,470 Shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA)

Texas Permanent School Fund Corp raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) by 7.3% in the 2nd quarter, according to the company in its most recent disclosure with the SEC. The fund owned 50,729 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 3,470 shares during the quarter. Texas Permanent School Fund Corp owned about 0.08% of Central Garden & Pet worth $1,676,000 at the end of the most recent reporting period.

Other institutional investors also recently bought and sold shares of the company. Nordea Investment Management AB grew its position in Central Garden & Pet by 33.1% during the first quarter. Nordea Investment Management AB now owns 181,017 shares of the company’s stock valued at $6,739,000 after buying an additional 44,969 shares during the period. Lazard Asset Management LLC boosted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1,038.2% during the 1st quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 129,744 shares of the company’s stock worth $4,789,000 after purchasing an additional 118,345 shares during the period. Norges Bank purchased a new stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet in the 4th quarter valued at $11,786,000. Congress Asset Management Co. MA increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 22.7% during the first quarter. Congress Asset Management Co. MA now owns 183,737 shares of the company’s stock worth $6,784,000 after purchasing an additional 33,983 shares during the period. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. increased its stake in Central Garden & Pet by 30.2% during the 1st quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,636,319 shares of the company’s stock worth $208,093,000 after buying an additional 1,306,309 shares during the period. 50.82% of the stock is currently owned by institutional investors and hedge funds.

Central Garden & Pet Price Performance

Central Garden & Pet stock opened at $33.05 on Thursday. The company has a quick ratio of 2.16, a current ratio of 3.66 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75. The firm has a market capitalization of $2.23 billion, a P/E ratio of 14.82 and a beta of 0.73. The firm has a fifty day moving average of $33.51 and a 200-day moving average of $35.03. Central Garden & Pet has a 52-week low of $27.88 and a 52-week high of $41.03.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last released its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, beating the consensus estimate of $1.25 by $0.07. Central Garden & Pet had a return on equity of 10.66% and a net margin of 4.42%. The company had revenue of $996.35 million for the quarter, compared to analyst estimates of $1.01 billion. During the same period last year, the company posted $1.40 earnings per share. As a group, analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.11 EPS for the current year.

Insider Buying and Selling at Central Garden & Pet

In other news, Director Brooks Pennington III sold 1,486 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.80, for a total transaction of $48,740.80. Following the transaction, the director now directly owns 40,743 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $1,336,370.40. The transaction was disclosed in a filing with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. In other Central Garden & Pet news, Director John Ranelli sold 2,500 shares of Central Garden & Pet stock in a transaction that occurred on Monday, August 19th. The stock was sold at an average price of $34.28, for a total transaction of $85,700.00. Following the sale, the director now directly owns 822 shares in the company, valued at approximately $28,178.16. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available through the SEC website. Also, Director Brooks Pennington III sold 1,486 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 13th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.80, for a total value of $48,740.80. Following the completion of the transaction, the director now directly owns 40,743 shares in the company, valued at $1,336,370.40. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold 63,986 shares of company stock valued at $2,146,841 over the last 90 days. 20.28% of the stock is owned by corporate insiders.

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

CENTA has been the subject of a number of recent research reports. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Monday, July 1st. JPMorgan Chase & Co. lowered their price objective on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $38.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a research report on Thursday, August 8th. StockNews.com cut Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a research note on Monday, July 1st. Finally, Argus raised Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a report on Tuesday, May 28th. Two equities research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have given a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company currently has an average rating of “Buy” and an average target price of $42.00.

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.