Principal Financial Group Inc. Grows Stock Holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT)

Principal Financial Group Inc. boosted its holdings in Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) by 4.2% in the fourth quarter, according to its most recent 13F filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission. The institutional investor owned 53,355 shares of the company’s stock after buying an additional 2,141 shares during the period. Principal Financial Group Inc. owned approximately 0.08% of Central Garden & Pet worth $2,070,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission.

Other hedge funds have also bought and sold shares of the company. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 1.7% during the 3rd quarter. Hotchkis & Wiley Capital Management LLC now owns 148,910 shares of the company’s stock valued at $5,431,000 after purchasing an additional 2,450 shares in the last quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 11.6% during the 3rd quarter. Charles Schwab Investment Management Inc. now owns 112,305 shares of the company’s stock valued at $4,096,000 after purchasing an additional 11,671 shares in the last quarter. Empowered Funds LLC grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 5.0% during the 4th quarter. Empowered Funds LLC now owns 48,392 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,878,000 after purchasing an additional 2,297 shares in the last quarter. JPMorgan Chase & Co. grew its position 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 purchasing an additional 14,964 shares in the last quarter. Finally, Barclays PLC grew its position in shares of Central Garden & Pet by 51.4% during the 3rd quarter. Barclays PLC now owns 34,944 shares of the company’s stock valued at $1,275,000 after purchasing an additional 11,865 shares in the last quarter. 16.13% of the stock is currently owned by hedge funds and other institutional investors.

Central Garden & Pet Stock Performance

NASDAQ CENT opened at $35.79 on Thursday. Central Garden & Pet has a 52-week low of $32.17 and a 52-week 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. The company has a market capitalization of $2.34 billion, a P/E ratio of 19.66 and a beta of 0.73. The company has a fifty day moving average of $37.15 and a 200-day moving average of $37.41.

Central Garden & Pet (NASDAQ:CENT) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, February 5th. The company reported $0.21 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of ($0.03) by $0.24. Central Garden & Pet had a net margin of 3.77% and a return on equity of 10.08%. As a group, equities research analysts predict that Central Garden & Pet will post 2.38 EPS for the current fiscal year.

Analyst Ratings Changes

CENT has been the subject of a number of recent analyst reports. Canaccord Genuity Group reduced their price target on shares of Central Garden & Pet from $48.00 to $45.00 and set a “buy” rating for the company in a research report on Tuesday, November 26th. Argus downgraded shares of Central Garden & Pet from a “strong-buy” rating to a “hold” rating in a report 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’s stock. According to MarketBeat.com, Central Garden & Pet has an average rating of “Buy” and a consensus target price of $46.75.

Insiders Place Their Bets

In other Central Garden & Pet news, insider John D. Walker III sold 10,000 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction on Monday, February 10th. The shares were sold at an average price of $32.86, for a total value of $328,600.00. Following the completion of the sale, the insider now directly owns 67,111 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $2,205,267.46. The trade was a 12.97 % decrease in their ownership of the stock. The transaction was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available at the SEC website. 8.19% of the stock is currently owned by insiders.

About Central Garden & Pet

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.