2,900 Shares in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) Purchased by Canada Pension Plan Investment Board

Canada Pension Plan Investment Board acquired a new position in shares of Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) in the second quarter, according to the company in its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm acquired 2,900 shares of the company’s stock, valued at approximately $96,000.

Several other hedge funds have also added to or reduced their stakes in CENTA. Nordea Investment Management AB lifted its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 33.1% during the 1st 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 last quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC lifted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet by 1,038.2% during the first quarter. Lazard Asset Management LLC now owns 129,744 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,789,000 after purchasing an additional 118,345 shares during the last quarter. Norges Bank bought a new position in Central Garden & Pet during the fourth quarter worth about $11,786,000. Congress Asset Management Co. MA increased its stake in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 22.7% in 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 in the last quarter. Finally, Vanguard Group Inc. raised its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 30.2% in the first quarter. Vanguard Group Inc. now owns 5,636,319 shares of the company’s stock valued at $208,093,000 after purchasing an additional 1,306,309 shares during the period. Institutional investors own 50.82% of the company’s stock.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Down 0.4 %

Shares of NASDAQ:CENTA opened at $31.77 on Friday. The firm has a fifty day moving average price of $33.35 and a two-hundred day moving average price of $34.83. The company has a market cap of $2.14 billion, a price-to-earnings ratio of 14.25 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.75, a current ratio of 3.66 and a quick ratio of 2.16. Central Garden & Pet has a one year low of $27.88 and a one year high of $41.03.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENTA) last posted its earnings results on Wednesday, August 7th. The company reported $1.32 EPS for the quarter, topping 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 business had revenue of $996.35 million during the quarter, compared to analysts’ expectations of $1.01 billion. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $1.40 earnings per share. Analysts anticipate that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.11 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Central Garden & Pet news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 60,000 shares of the firm’s stock in a transaction dated Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.54, for a total transaction of $2,012,400.00. Following the sale, the chairman now owns 1,125,773 shares in the company, valued at $37,758,426.42. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the Securities & Exchange Commission, which is available at the SEC website. In other Central Garden & Pet news, Chairman William E. Brown sold 60,000 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Friday, August 30th. The stock was sold at an average price of $33.54, for a total value of $2,012,400.00. Following the completion of the sale, the chairman now owns 1,125,773 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $37,758,426.42. The sale was disclosed in a legal filing with the SEC, which can be accessed through this link. Also, 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 transaction, the director now directly owns 822 shares in the company, valued at $28,178.16. The disclosure for this sale can be found here. Insiders sold a total of 63,986 shares of company stock valued at $2,146,841 in the last quarter. Corporate insiders own 20.28% of the company’s stock.

Analyst Ratings Changes

Several research analysts recently commented on CENTA shares. StockNews.com downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report on Monday, July 1st. Canaccord Genuity Group upgraded Central Garden & Pet to a “strong-buy” rating in a research report on Monday, July 1st. Finally, JPMorgan Chase & Co. dropped their price objective on Central Garden & Pet from $38.00 to $34.00 and set a “neutral” rating on the stock in a report on Thursday, August 8th. Two research analysts have rated the stock with a hold rating, two have assigned a buy rating and two have issued a strong buy rating to the stock. According to MarketBeat, the company has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus 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.